Timber is an essential component in the construction or decoration of a house. It is a dried material and it gets decayed unless it is properly looked after. If it is well maintained, it will last many life times. Dry rot is a major cause for its decay.

Dry-rot fungus is generally called as a building cancer. It rampages through buildings and destroys any timber in its path very quickly. The fungus generally thrives in moist unventilated conditions. It penetrates brickwork to get to timber and may cause widespread destruction of structural timbers, skirting boards, door frames and wood flooring.

As the fungus thrives in damp and unventilated conditions, it generally occurs in property that is not often seen, such as floor voids, or behind timber paneling. Hence the damage may be extensive before the attack is discovered.

Damages caused by dry rot

In the initial stages the fungus appears in off-white feels-like cotton wool or like sheets on brickwork and timber. In later stages it develops thick fungal strands. Where the fungus is exposed to light, it often has a lemon-yellowish tinge.

Damage is generally limited to timber. But large flat mushroom-like fruiting bodies can easily grow through finishes such as plaster or paint. These fruiting bodies are the first visible sign of a problem. They produce numerous spores, which are generally brick red in color.

In the end, dry-rot decayed timber can be easily crumbled between your fingers. The fungus causes deep cracks running across the grain. There is often evidence of off-white sheets of the fungus on the wood.

Treating dry rot

The fungus can transport moisture from a source to a long distance to attack dry wood. In reality, though the fungus can transport moisture over long distance, it cannot transport anywhere near enough moisture to attack wood that is otherwise dry.

To treat dry rot you have to remove the affected timber, including all timber for a metre beyond the visible signs of the fungus. It is also necessary to go for extensive chemical fungicide treatments for all adjacent timber and the brickwork of any contaminated walls and plaster. But, this approach is expensive and unnecessary.

The modern approach is using environmental controls like isolation and ventilation. These methods ensure that the damp and unventilated conditions required by dry rot to spread do not occur. The techniques are simple ways that avoid the timber in a property from becoming damp enough for dry rot to attack. For instance you can follow techniques like – replacing dry-rot decayed joists with new timber using joist hangers instead of building them back into the brickwork and using ventilated skirting board details to encourage ventilation of a floor void.

Replacement door frames must have a strip of damp-proof membrane around the outside. It fully isolates them from damp or potentially damp brickwork. It avoids the timber from becoming damp enough for dry rot to attack.

Replacement door frames must have a strip of damp-proof membrane around the outside. It fully isolates them from damp or potentially damp brickwork. It avoids the timber from becoming damp enough for dry rot to attack.

If dry rot attacked your furniture, it is better to have the problem looked at. Consult a reputable specialist firm to take corrective action. It gives you the guarantee that the problems won’t return.