The most serious form of fungal decay is dry rot which occurs when the moisture levels of a timber is about 20 percent. It targets timber in buildings and feeds off the part of the wood which gives it its strength.it is able to produce moisture through the digestion of timber and as a result, does not require any source of moisture to spread. Once the dry rot is able to spread, it can severely impact and compromise the structural integrity of the house or building. If you think you may have dry rot on your building, the best solution would be to call on a professional to conduct a survey of your premises and have it treated as soon as possible if positive. If the dry rot is not identified and treated as soon as possible, you may have to remove and replace all the affected timber later on. In this post, we’re going to take you through the process of treating dry rot by yourself. Let’s take a look!
- The initial treatment stage of dry rot is to identify the moisture source and have it repaired. Once done, you’ll have to ascertain the full extent of the dry rot outbreak. To achieve this, simply open up the affected area by removing the plaster and render in all directions while also removing flooring and lifting floorboards. Once done, you should be in the best position to determine the full extent of the infected timbers.
- Proceed to cutback the timbers in-situ to a minimum of 500mm beyond the last signs of fungal growth or the strands of hyphae.
- Remove all fruiting bodies and detectible spores. Clean the wall areas to eradicate surface growth using a stiff brush if necessary.
- Replace the timber with pre-treated timber.
- Treat the new and old timber with a dual purpose dry rot treatment fluid and sterilise the masonry.