Termites really find their livelihoods out here in Los Angeles, and as any common pest - you as a homeowner think you can handle it all on your own.
There are a lot of things that you can fix with hammer, nail, a little bit of common sense, but termite damage really is absolutely not one of them. Here are the projects to seriously never take on.
Flooring Termite Damage
There’s good and bad news when it comes to termite damage in your flooring. It’s the most common early sign of termite damage. In a way, be glad when you catch the infestation at this stage.
Clues are as follows -
Sagging Flooring: is a sign that termites have deeply weakened the structure of your home. When they dig through they leave ill supported tunnels which can lead to the floor simply slouching where it shouldn't.
Visible Trails: If you’re lucky enough, and I mean ‘lucky,’ you’ll see thin trails above the composition of the floor where termites may have nibbled but it’s unlikely. Termites love the deep dark. Without it they shrivel up.
Squeaking Floorboards: while a common cold symptom, what you hear when the floor squeaks is the sound of nails not holding your boards in place. As termites damage your floors, they create spaces in between that kill its structure.
A safe rule on the ‘can I do this on my own,’ is whether or not the damage is in any way integral to the foundation of your home. By that I mean, is the damage on something that is actively holding up your home.
Termite damage replacement in your floors are not a DIY project. Imagine how much weight you put on your floors every day. Compromise that structure even a little bit and you’ve exponentially decreased its ability to keep your home together. This is true especially if you have laminate tiling. The best thing you can do if you sense termite damage in your floors, is to call someone who can explain the damage to you.
Ceiling Termite Damage
If you’ve been able to recognize the termite damage done to your ceiling, I’m going to assume you called a professional because a job like that requires thorough precision. Unless you’ve suffered heavy damage which are implied by -
Cracked Ceiling: severe structural damage leads to the drywall finding itself misshapen then split.
Insect Wings Lying Around: the sign of an expanding colony which may have simply flown up to your ceiling only to mate, settle, and devour your home.
Mud Tubes: dirt highways for termites which means even the ones without wings are getting in on the ceiling buffet.
This is not a DIY job. I repeat. This is not a DIY job. It’s one thing to for termites to have a light nibble on your floors. It’s another thing to have upped their infestation through flight and inflict ceiling corrosion. For damaged ceiling replacement, contact a professional who knows project safety. Also, if you’re finding damage up there you’re almost certainly suffered flooring damage, and even worse, termite damage to your walls.
Termite Damage in Walls
If you’ve ever seen walls inspected for termite damage you’ll notice the complete upheaval of drywall with the big reveal of black, corroded wood. It’s not a pretty thing. If you can somehow bear witness to such a visible defeat of a home’s structure and still think this is DIY, you’re dreaming.
We’ve got the usual signs -
Mud Tubes: After your foundation, your walls might be the second place you spot these.
Faint Lines in Your Wall: Like looking at your veins through your skin, sometimes termites grant you with the horrible sight of seeing their destructive efforts through your wall’s paint.
Warped Walls: When the structure fails your walls sag.
Your walls are not to be taken lightly with the prospect that you’ll save money by doing it yourself. You won’t. Termite damage in your walls is insidious. At first you might think it’s only one pace but as you start tearing off the protective drywall of your home, you’ll notice the bones have rotted in a far reaching way. Best case scenario, you suffer financially. Just call a professional.
How to Handle Termite Damage
Termite infestations are a dreary realization. But it doesn’t have to be. Instead of viewing termite damage as a sickness within your walls, treat it as a wake up call to do better.
Many homeowners view a complete upheaval as a way to finally start their bathroom remodeling projects, begin their new vision for their kitchen. Instead of letting something bad keep you down, put something better in its place.
Novel Remodeling helps homeowners not only find their vision of a perfect home, but make it happen. Whether it’s big or small, any change to your home can seriously improve your relationship with it. Get a free quote.
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