I went through this problem 5 or 6 years ago, The guy I used treated the whole house and gave a 25 year guarantee. It wasn’t too expensive either 1100 euros. No sign of them since.
Wow, I’ve explained many times that there is no such thing as a 100% guarantee in Pest Control.
I’ve never heard of a 25 year guarntee, he must have T&C’s as long as your arm. Guarantees are like VW emission testing in “ideal conditions”. If the conditions are not ideal then tuff on you!
It’s also bizarre that the pro stuff offers an active life of 10 years, but bricolage products offer 20 years.
I never offer a 100% guarantee for wood treatment, but I give a certificate/attestation that the work was carried out professionally and state the products used. I have never had recourse…touch wood!
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Does anybody know if Xylophene “goes off”?
I have a 20 litre can of Xylophene which is about 5 years old.
I brush painted some on barn timbers today and it didn’t seem as pungent as I remember.
I’m not sure the chemical itself “goes off” but the water content will possibly have evaporated a bit …and thus you might need to apply 2 coats to ensure good coverage …
I’m sure others will chime in.
Thanks @Stella hopefully @Rob_le_Pest will know.
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I found a product summary which says 12 months - 5 years might be pushing it.
Mind you the summary is for the industrial version - not sure if anything sold retail will be the same formulation - eg this version seems to be a mix of Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone which is not the same at all.
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Thanks @anon88169868 - probably time to buy some more.
Hello, I’m enjoying the NZ climate at the mo. Back to the cold soon. Can’t stop, off to the beach!
You are still there! I thought you were back weeks ago! Enjoy it.
Well, that was fun, North of the North, Cape Reigna to the south of the South, Slope Point.
Been back a few weeks, now playing catch up.
Rob
Hello Rob_le_pest … if you are around, quick question. If xylophene is essentially a detergent that breaks down fats, does that mean its protective powers disappear if you subsequently use linseed oil on your furniture as a protective polish (on top of xylophene treatment?) merci d’avance, joni
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Welcome to the forum.
If you want to address and get the attention of poster use @ the see photo
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Wowza, great question, I have no idea.
I will forward the question to my fournisseur and will get back to you.
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Réponse:
So first thing : the wood has to be clean (décapé) before treatment.
Then if you apply a liquid, you will have to wait around 1 week before aplying the protective polish.
And up to 1 month if you use wood preservation gel.
And the finishing should not harm at all the treatement product.
Hope that helps!
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@Rob_le_Pest , thank you so much for your generous reply. I didn’t know if the xylophene would be used up eating linseed oil, lol. To be honest I already xylophened but never saw it say I had to strip first so time will tell. I put all furniture outside for three days in super hot sun and painted new coat of xylophene every morning. I don’t really think there was much of anything to strip, but maybe there was. Just have a nice new armoire and didn’t want any potential critters to migrate. I got my info from French fashion designer on youtube who bought a place in Provence and did this with her furniture so I will get what I paid for. Thanks again ! xoxox
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No worries, just bear in mind that some beetle larvae can live several years in the wood before emerging. But when they do munch their way out, they will meet their demise. So, today’s treatment will be effective, but the wood could still be active.
Don’t do anymore coats though; It says on the tin 2 coats. That’s all you need. 10 coats is 8 coats wasted, not 8 times more protected.
That’s why Pest Controllers are value for money 
Moreover, how did you manage to leave furniture outdoors for 3 consecutive days? !
@Rob_le_Pest oh wow, good to know about the impending resurrections. Sigh. I was hoping they’d be cooked in the dry sunshine even before the xylophene got ‘em.
We have a little concrete courtyard and I just laid down big sheets of cardboard to catch the drips so I could gather them up before rain and they wouldn’t get in the water / ocean and kill sea life…. I left an armoire, an entry table, and a piece of decorative carved moulding out day and night x 3/2. We had a mini canicule so brought them in today before the predicted storm which never came. It’s what the fashion designer also did with her farm furniture. I felt like she was French and spoke about it like this is the way everyone does it… like it was a commonplace task for French people since so much old furniture.
The hole story might explain why when I brought things home there were no holes and now there are.
Our house is pretty airy and dry and warm so hopefully they won’t come back.
Thanks so much again 
Ps, only after writing you did I see that this conversation was 4 years ago
That’s the french grandmother’s theory group. Extreme heat will kill larvae, but to be sure, the wood needs to be over 43° for over half an hour.
Oh well, I should have done it 2 summers ago. Or put the furniture in a black metal van in an asphalt parking lot on a 36 degree day Like people in California put all their stuff in vans and park them for a week in Death Valley to kill bedbugs.
I’m also a fan of diatomaceous earth for other 
s.