Richardson & Starling |
Your rot is our rot, Rot is Our business |
Wood Problems |
Over 70 years experience in Building Preservation... |
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Wood rot | Dampness | Wet rot | Condensation Problems | Rising Damp | Waterproofing | Window Repair |
| Wood Problems | Damp Problems | Basement Waterproofing | Window Repair |
| Do you have problems or concerns about the structural timbers of your property? Richardson & Starling conduct complete property surveys to inspect for wood rot, woodworm, and dry rot, to include all manner of wood problems leading to structural timber decay. Our qualified surveyors will provide comprehensive reports, identifying causes of attack and recommend environmentally appropriate repairs. The following table will give you information on the vatrious types of Insect and Fungal attacks that can occur. |
| INSECT ATTACKS | |||
| INSECT | FLIGHT DUST | BORE HOLES | COMMENTS |
| Common Furniture Beetle woodworm Anobium punctatum |
About 1.5mm | Gritty (fine sand) Lemon shaped pellets |
Predominntly found in softwoods although sapwood and hardwood may also be affected in damp conditions |
| Death Watch Beetle Xestobium ruflivillosum |
About 3mm | Like coarse sand Bun shaped pellets | Normally in oak, associated with damp timber and fungal decay |
| House Longhorn Beetle Hylotrupes bajulus |
Oval Holes 6-9mm | Contains cylindrical pellets | Affects softwoods. Generally restricted to Surrey('Camberly' Beetle) |
| Wood-boring Weevils | Ragged. About 1.5mm | All pellets, finer than Common Furniture Beetle | Only affects timber attacked by fungus |
| FUNGAL ATTACKS | |||
| FUNGAL | FRUIT BODIES | MYCELIUM | WOOD |
| Serpula lacrymans DRY ROT |
Fleshy soft plate. Spore bearing surface yellow to red with wide pores | Soft, white/grey sheets or cushions showing patches of yellow and tinges of lilac. Strands sometimes as thick as a pencil. Becomes brittle when dried | Causes darkening of wood. Large cubodial cracking. Cubes same size or larger than those of Antrodia vaillanti |
| Coniophora puteana WET ROT "cellar fungus" |
Thin plate. Greenish olive brown. Spores on many minute pimples | Slender, thread-like, first yellowish, soon becoming deep brown or nearly black | Causes darkening of the wood. Small cubodial cracking usually hidden below a sound veneer which appears to be stained with water. Attacks wood in a ver damp situation in cellars, skirting boards etc |
| Antrodia vaillanti WET ROT "Poria" |
Soft, white plate, hard when dry. Spore bearing surface showing numerous minute pores | Very white fern-like growth on edges of sheet never showing colouration. Strands remaining flexible when dried | Causes darkening of the wood. Large cubodial cracking. Often found under floor covering |
| Donkioporia expansa WET ROT |
Thick hard plate or bracket. Dull fawn or biscuit colour. Long pores, often in several layers | White to biscuit in colour found within the timber | Attacks hardwood, mainly Oak. Will decay softwood if adjacent. Wood reduced to consistency of whitish lint. No cubodial cracking |
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