{"id":14530,"date":"2024-01-13T10:30:44","date_gmt":"2024-01-13T10:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/?p=14530"},"modified":"2026-05-20T21:39:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T21:39:42","slug":"tackle-wood-rot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/","title":{"rendered":"Tackling wood rot with effective timber care"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK is known for its cool, wet climate, but recent years have seen a notable increase in rainfall. 2024, for example, saw the UK receive <\/span>107% of its long-term average rainfall<\/span><\/a>, with southern England experiencing a particularly wet year at 121% of its average. This trend of wetter weather can lead to<\/span> penetrating dam<\/span><\/a>p in properties, often due to porous masonry, blocked gutters, drain pipes, drains, or water rapidly running off hard surfaces.<\/span><\/p>\n

The high levels of moisture ingress caused by this can cause particular damage to timber in properties \u2013 leading to issues such as wood rot<\/a>. With this in mind, it\u2019s important to know what causes wood rot, how to spot the warning signs of a problem, and what to do if you identify a potential issue.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n\n

What is wood rot?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Wood rot<\/a> occurs when timber remains damp for extended periods of time. Wood is a food source for fungi, so when Fungal spores land on it, they germinate and start to break down the structure. Over time this can cause timber elements to lose strength and fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood rot, otherwise known as fungal decay, is a serious problem that affects properties across the UK, as timber is a common construction material. It can cause timber to lose its structural integrity over time, so accurate diagnosis and treatments are essential to make sure your property remains structurally sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What causes wood rot?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Wood rot is caused when timber becomes excessively damp (above 20%) from moisture entering a property.  Particularly aggressive storms may cause roof tiles to be displaced or damaged, and if roofing membranes become defective, there is a much higher chance of water ingress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excess moisture can be caused by poor ventilation within a property, and as occupants close windows to try to keep warm during colder weather, damp issues such as condensation typically become more common<\/a>, as excess moisture is trapped in the property, rather than being vented outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the most common reason for timbers in contact with masonry becoming damp is moisture transmittance from damp masonry caused by wind driven rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Identifying wood rot<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most common visual sign of wood rot is timber that changes colour or looks like it is splitting, crumbling or disintegrating. There are two different forms of wood rot (white and brown rots), depending on the types of fungi and environmental conditions present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dry rot<\/a> (Serpula lacrymans<\/em>) is a brown rot.   It starts when airborne spores germinate on a suitable food source such as damp timber.  Fungal mycelium (‘roots’) form on the surface and enzymes are secreted to digest the wood fibres, turning them brown. This form of rot can be highly damaging in a property, as it can severely impact its structural integrity and can spread aggressively from one area of timber to the next. Contrary to its name, dry rot needs some moisture to flourish and grow, and can be hard to spot because it often grows in areas with reduced ventilation where people do not look, such as under floorboards or behind plaster away from light. Dry rot can also grow through masonry in search of more wood to decay, which allows it to spread undetected within and between properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wet rot<\/a> is not normally as harmful as dry rot, and will only occur where the moisture source is located. It attacks timber in much wetter conditions than dry rot, making it a common cause of structural defects and decay to timber window frames. When excess moisture is absorbed by timber it can allow fungal spores to germinate and produce mycelium which produce enzymes to break down the timber, leading to it losing its strength. With some wet rots the timber will turn brown, but with the ‘stringy white rots’ the timber goes white and loses all strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How to treat Wood rot<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to treating wood rot, the first action should be to locate and stop the cause of moisture ingress. If this is not located and repaired, no amount of treatment will be successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 When tackling a case of dry rot, exposure work will be required to trace the full extent of the outbreak, as it may have spread many metres from the moisture source. To treat the fungus growing on walls and timbers, affected wall plaster may need to be removed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For wet rot, the decayed timber needs to be replaced or cut back to \u2018sound\u2019 timber (the wood that remains structurally intact and in a safe condition) and finally, the remaining timbers should be treated with a fungicidal spray to protect them during the drying out period. The most vulnerable sections of timber are usually those inserted into the structure of the wall, because this bearing face will absorb moisture from the damp masonry.  This is why timbers inserted in wall sockets must be isolated on damp proof membrane or other non conducting material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Replacement can include splicing in new sections of timber using steel plates, bolts and timber connectors or timber resin splice<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, timber plays a very important structural role in many of our homes and buildings and steps need to be taken to check on its condition. At Peter Cox our specialist surveyors have experience in identifying and treating wood rot in properties all across the UK for decades. Arranging a timber survey<\/a> will mean you get a professional surveyor to inspect the issue, and provide a comprehensive report detailing their findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 If you are concerned that you might have identified some of the signs of wood rot in your home, then contact our team today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The UK is known for its cool, wet climate, but recent years have seen a notable increase in rainfall. 2024, for example, saw the UK receive 107% of its long-term average rainfall, with southern England experiencing a particularly wet year at 121% of its average. This trend of wetter weather can lead to penetrating damp […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":15871,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[175,169,172,176,170,171,174,173,168,93],"class_list":["post-14530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dry-rot-wet-rot","tag-beams","tag-cellar-fungus","tag-cuboidal-cracking","tag-floorboards","tag-fruiting-bodies","tag-fungal-growth","tag-rotten-timber","tag-rotten-wood","tag-timber-decay","tag-wood-rot"],"yoast_head":"\nPeter Cox Blog: Tackle Wood Rot | Expert Solutions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Combat wood rot effectively: Discover proven solutions and prevention methods to protect your property from decay and damage.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Peter Cox Blog: Tackle Wood Rot | Expert Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Combat wood rot effectively: Discover proven solutions and prevention methods to protect your property from decay and damage.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Peter Cox Blog | Property Advice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-13T10:30:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-20T21:39:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/wet-rot-joist-2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"980\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"677\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nicholas Donnithornne\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nicholas Donnithornne\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/\",\"name\":\"Peter Cox Blog: Tackle Wood Rot | Expert Solutions\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/wet-rot-joist-2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-13T10:30:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-20T21:39:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8a67ed7f600f54610e43e61e967be03b\"},\"description\":\"Combat wood rot effectively: Discover proven solutions and prevention methods to protect your property from decay and damage.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/wet-rot-joist-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/wet-rot-joist-2.png\",\"width\":980,\"height\":677,\"caption\":\"Wood rot\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Tackling wood rot with effective timber care\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Peter Cox Blog | Property Advice\",\"description\":\"Keep up to date with all the latest gossip, news and insight in the property preservation industry from the experts at Peter Cox. Read all about it!\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8a67ed7f600f54610e43e61e967be03b\",\"name\":\"Nicholas Donnithornne\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screenshot-2024-03-28-124836-150x150.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screenshot-2024-03-28-124836-150x150.png\",\"caption\":\"Nicholas Donnithornne\"},\"description\":\"Nicholas joined the Woodworm and Dry Rot Division of Rentokil\u2019s research laboratories in 1980 as a laboratory technician. For the next 28 years he worked on insect, fungi, damp and timber treatment research both on the vectors and on formulation of product. In 1990 he became the company\u2019s timber technologist working on timber pre-treatment and gained responsibility for ISO 9001 compliance as the Laboratory and QA Manager. In 2008 he transferred to the Property Care business as Technical and SHE Manager, where he is also responsible for technical training. From 2008, Nicholas has been actively involved with the Property Care Association Technical committees of the Structural Waterproofing, Preservation, Residential Ventilation and Invasive Weed Control groups. He has also been a speaker at the PCA National conference. In 1983 he was honoured to be elected a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society of London and further honoured in 2001 with fellowship of the Linnean Society of London.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.rentokil.co.uk\/property-care\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Peter Cox Blog: Tackle Wood Rot | Expert Solutions","description":"Combat wood rot effectively: Discover proven solutions and prevention methods to protect your property from decay and damage.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Peter Cox Blog: Tackle Wood Rot | Expert Solutions","og_description":"Combat wood rot effectively: Discover proven solutions and prevention methods to protect your property from decay and damage.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/","og_site_name":"Peter Cox Blog | Property Advice","article_published_time":"2024-01-13T10:30:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-20T21:39:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":980,"height":677,"url":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/wet-rot-joist-2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Nicholas Donnithornne","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Nicholas Donnithornne","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/","url":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/","name":"Peter Cox Blog: Tackle Wood Rot | Expert Solutions","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/wet-rot-joist-2.png","datePublished":"2024-01-13T10:30:44+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-20T21:39:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8a67ed7f600f54610e43e61e967be03b"},"description":"Combat wood rot effectively: Discover proven solutions and prevention methods to protect your property from decay and damage.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/wet-rot-joist-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/wet-rot-joist-2.png","width":980,"height":677,"caption":"Wood rot"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/tackle-wood-rot\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tackling wood rot with effective timber care"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/","name":"Peter Cox Blog | Property Advice","description":"Keep up to date with all the latest gossip, news and insight in the property preservation industry from the experts at Peter Cox. Read all about it!","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8a67ed7f600f54610e43e61e967be03b","name":"Nicholas Donnithornne","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screenshot-2024-03-28-124836-150x150.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Screenshot-2024-03-28-124836-150x150.png","caption":"Nicholas Donnithornne"},"description":"Nicholas joined the Woodworm and Dry Rot Division of Rentokil\u2019s research laboratories in 1980 as a laboratory technician. For the next 28 years he worked on insect, fungi, damp and timber treatment research both on the vectors and on formulation of product. In 1990 he became the company\u2019s timber technologist working on timber pre-treatment and gained responsibility for ISO 9001 compliance as the Laboratory and QA Manager. In 2008 he transferred to the Property Care business as Technical and SHE Manager, where he is also responsible for technical training. From 2008, Nicholas has been actively involved with the Property Care Association Technical committees of the Structural Waterproofing, Preservation, Residential Ventilation and Invasive Weed Control groups. He has also been a speaker at the PCA National conference. In 1983 he was honoured to be elected a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society of London and further honoured in 2001 with fellowship of the Linnean Society of London.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.rentokil.co.uk\/property-care\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14530"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16249,"href":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14530\/revisions\/16249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petercox.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}