Hello
I’m looking for some advice for my roof. I was informed by a carpenter, who was having a look at our roof for other reasons, that there were signs of infestation in the joists in the roof . I found that several of the joists had began to degrade (the support in the center and at the end of the main joists that go along the length of the house) and asked another carpenter to have a look. Both men said to use three coats of Xylophene, using a brush, on these parts. I followed their instructions - and put on a few more coats the week later.
I went up to have another look this week - two months later - and noticed that there was a sort of sawdust in this area. I have cleaned it up a lot more - taking out the dead/ contaminated wood and given it another treatment. I asked some professionals to have a look and got 4 different proposals:
- Treatment by injection
- Not to use injection as the joists are too thin and just keep treating
- To double up the joists and inject
- Spray the infected areas
I’m looking for some advice, as it is hard to know what is the best route and how to avoid people taking advantage of the fact that we are a young couple in a nice area.
Also would I be able to claim any costs back as the loft was supposed to have been treated before we bought the house. The survey didn’t reveal any instances of infection though.
Thank you in advance for any advice. Looking through the forums it maybe @Rob_le_Pest might be able to help?
Have a lovely weekend,
H
Greetings
The instructions n the Xylophene tin says 2 coats, there should be no need for a 3rd.
Basically your wood is treated, therefore any insect or larvae that eats the treated wood will succomb. The problem is that some larvae/beetle can live in the wood for several years. You can’t expect immediate results.
Can you post or PM photos of the sawdust/frass and the affected wood (holes and damage) please. Each insect leaves different traces.
I’m not a fan of injecting, IMO the treatment was created to grab more money out of the customer, average cost is about 150€HT per linear metre and you’ll forever have unsightly plastic plugs every 20cm.
Personally I treat by surface spraying, the fine particles will penetrate the wood better than paintbrushing.
So, if you’ve got sawdust after treating, means one less insect to worry about!
If you’ve already treated, there’s no need to get a professional in, you just need to be patient and have faith in your work. Xylophene is a trademark, it comes in various forms, the shop stuff is fine!
Rob
Is that varnish or Xylophene?
If it’s the latter than good job.
If it’s varnish, it might be worth sanding it first to get to the wood.
The beetles will lay their eggs in the cracks and crevaces of the wood, the eggs will hatch and eat their way into the wood.
The sawdust are the emerging adults. Either way, when they chew through treated wood, they’re done for!
Thank you for your responses!
Yes it’s the treatment, I tried to apply a lot so that it sunk in!
I didn’t know if I needed to strip the wood back until the healthy part? I tried my best to do so but I think there were some areas I missed. Should I go back and do these parts? Also should I continue to treat the area if it’s been sprayed twice?
My worry is because it is on the main joist/support in the center and the part that goes into the brick wall, it will compromise the roof. Should I be worried about this?
You don’t need to keep treating, more than 2 coats doesn’t make it better treated, it means you’re wasting money!
You could test the wood with a screwdriver, tap the wood with the handle if it sounds solid, it’s solid, if it’s a soft hollow sound it could be compromised? Use the pointy end to excavate any dead wood.
The wood can be braced if you’re worried, but you’ll need to discuss that with a carpenter.
