Wood rot is called out on your termite inspection report as “wood-decay fungi.” This fungi actually eats and digests wood. The wood has to be wet or at least moist to be attacked, and spores from the fungi are constantly floating around in outdoor air, ready to colonize any piece of wood with enough moisture content to sustain their growth. 

   Unlike dealing with insects that destroy wood, such as termites and some species of wood-boring beetles that are killed by a chemical application before the wood is repaired, the specified treatment for wood rot is simply to remove the areas of soft/damaged wood and replace them. You can remove the affected areas by cutting out pieces of wood and installing new lumber, or by digging out the soft, rotted spots in the wood and patching them with a material such epoxy or a wood filler compound.

   Removing the wood and replacing it is preferable to patching, but if the purpose of your repair is simply to get a “clean” WDO required by a buyer so that you can sell your home, patching is the least expensive solution for smaller areas. Simply removing the area of rotted wood will also get you a clean WDO, but may not satisfy the home buyer.

   If you want to stop wood rot from coming back again and again in the same places, see our blog What causes wood rot on a home?, which includes a list of ways to prevent the problem from recurring.

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To learn more about TERMITES, WOOD ROT AND OTHER PESTS see these blog posts:

• Is the WDO (termite) inspector allowed to poke holes in my wood siding and trim? 

• Do carpenter ants cause structural damage to houses in Florida? 

• How long before closing can you have a WDO (termite) inspection done?

• How long does Bora-Care® last? 

• Where are the most common places to find wood rot on a house?

• Why is it a mistake to store lumber in the crawl space under a house? 

• Does the presence of carpenter ants in a house indicate that there are probably also termites? 

• How do termites infest a house and remain hidden while doing major damage?

 • Are homes in Florida required to have termite protection? 

• If termite damage appears to be old, does that mean that termites may no longer be present?

• What does roach poop (fecal pellets) look like? 

• When do termites swarm in Florida? 

• Does a recent termite company inspection sticker mean there are no termites? 

• Can a mobile/manufactured home get termites?

• Do I have to tent the house if I have termites? 

• Is wood rot found on a home inspection considered serious? 

    Visit our TERMITES, WOOD ROT AND PESTS page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.