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How to repair termite damage
Termites are one of the few household pests that destroy your house bit by bit. Being a concealing insect pest that barely announces its presence, these insects can creep into the structure of your home and take it down within a short time.
If you have a termite infestation at hand, the best thing you can do is to quickly get rid of it in time and repair the damaged parts in your home. Only by doing this can you be sure you are completely free from the termite infestation.
For you to know how to get the damages fixed, you need to first of all be able to identify the damages caused by termites. This will give you a better view of the type of damage you are dealing with. Here are some signs of termite damage that you should look out for:
Signs of Termite Damage
- The presence of buckling walls and ceilings in your home
- The design of maze-like shapes on the surface of wood around your property
- Water damages at different locations in the house
- The wings of swarming termites around your house
- Finding mud tunnels along the foundation of your house
If you notice any of these signs in your house, it is quite unfortunate that you have a termite problem already and the colony is thriving. If left unchecked, your property will be devoured by the termites. This could cause more serious damage that you can’t control such as ceiling collapse or a fault in the foundation of your building.
However, if you can get things under control at an early stage, you might be able to prevent all of these and save the structure of your home from utter destruction. Termites are voracious eaters; they won’t hesitate to do this if you don’t take quick action.
Can Termite Damage Be Fixed?
There is no denying the fact that termites are destructive, but if you take quick actions to remove them you can still fix their damages. The only time the destruction of termites gets out of hand is when the infestation is left unchecked for years. The only species of termites that destroys at a very fast rate is the Formosan termites. A colony of these termites can cause severe damages to a house in just two years if left unchecked. They are the most voracious of all termite species, hence their damages are usually severe.
Other species of termites take longer than that to cause damage that severe. For instance, dry wood termites might take up to 20 years to cause significant damages to the structure of a house. Irrespective of the species of the termite, if you take action quickly, termite damage can be fixed.
How to Repair Termite Damage
When it comes to repairing termite damage, there are two major ways to do this. You can either choose to hire a professional to help you fix the damages or get it done by yourself.
If you choose to fix it yourself, this can either be done by cutting out the damaged section of the wood and then replacing it with a new one or you can add a plank of wood in an adjacent position to support the damaged wood. To do any of these, you need carpentry tools. If all these are within your reach, you can go ahead to repair the damages.
Whichever you prefer, you need to have removed the termites from the infested wood before thinking of repairing it. If you don’t get rid of the termites, you are simply providing them with an additional food source.
On the other hand, if you choose to hire a professional, they will be the one to check out the extent of the damages and get it fixed for you. To get the best result, it’s better to hire a professional, they are in the best position to get things fixed for you.
What You Need to Do Before Doing Repairs
Although it’s possible to repair the damages made by termites, there are certain things you need to put in place if you are to do this, one of which is getting a local termite specialist to help ascertain that the termites are all gone and all risk of another infestation in the nearest future is eliminated. Repairs shouldn’t be made until this has been guaranteed. By doing this, you can be sure you won’t have to deal with termite infestations anymore after repairing the damages.