Crawl Space Wood Damage in New York's Southern Tier
Fix crawl space wood rot with Foam It Insulation!
It may seem daunting to repair crawl space wood damage due to rot, mold, and termites. However, if you're able to catch the problem before it becomes too severe, a crawl space repair contractor like Foam It Insulation can offer a quick and affordable remedy.
If your crawl space looks like this, get in touch with Foam It Insulation today!
It is not enough to repair mold damage. If moisture and high humidity are still present in your crawl space, mold will continue to grow on wood and cause further damage.
We offer long-term solutions for wood rot repair that include crawl space encapsulation so that you don't have to worry about mold-damaged wood again! Give us a call at 1-607-821-0519 or click below to schedule a free wood rot repair estimate in Binghamton, Johnson City, and nearby.
What causes wood rot in the crawl space?
High humidity and moisture in your crawl space can wreak havoc on your crawl space and the rest of your home. Moisture often leads to mold growth, ultimately resulting in wood rot and other issues. Wood rot can be especially dangerous because it can impact the structural integrity of your home.
That's why it's essential to keep relative humidity levels down in your crawl space, and Foam It Insulation can help you achieve that!
Crawl space wood rot questions & answers
To treat wood rot in your crawl space, the following steps are recommended:
- Remove all wood that shows visible fungus or decay, and wood within one meter of visibly decayed material.
- Remove paneling, linings, plaster, and other surfaces around decayed material.
- Clean off all surfaces using a wire brush, including pipes and metal within 1.5 meters of rot.
- Clean up all dust and debris leftover from the above process.
- Apply fungicide to concrete, masonry, and exposed dirt in the area. Use two coatings of fungicide for wood surfaces within 1.5 meters of the damage.
- Replace wood impacted by wood rot with fungicide-treated wood.
After that, you should consider having our experts install a complete crawl space waterproofing and encapsulation system in order to prevent wood rot in the future. Otherwise, you run the risk of having to redo this entire process.
Without proper moisture control for your crawl space, wood rot will continue to spread. In fact, wood rot is able to create moisture via the digestion of wood, so even if the source of moisture is temporarily eliminated, wood rot will spread further. That's why it's essential to not only repair wood rot, but also to install a crawl space waterproofing and encapsulation system to ensure your crawl space is not exposed to humidity levels that could provide a food source for mold and mildew.
Unfortunately, wood rot in your crawl space is the result of mold. Mold is a fungal growth that consumes sugars, starches, and other organic compounds in wood. So, if you've noticed wood damage in your crawl space, it is likely that you also have a mold problem.
What is the difference between surface mold and wood rot?
Mold eats away at the wood in your crawl space.
Mold feeds on sugars, starches, and other compounds in wood. Living wood protects itself from mold and rot damage with its bark, which does not contain the starches and sugars that mold thrives on. Once the wood is cut and processed, it loses this natural layer of protection and opens the door to mold and rot.
While surface mold consumes the starches and sugars in the wood, it does not impact the strength of the wood. Wood rot, on the other hand, consumes sugars and starches in addition to converting the structural polymers in wood fibers to food, weakening the strength of the wood.
Surface mold is easily cleaned without damaging wood. Wood rot, however, may require serious repairs.
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