What does indoor termite damage look like?
What does indoor termite damage look like?
Termite damage sometimes appears similar to water damage. Outward signs of termite damage include buckling wood, swollen floors and ceilings, areas that appear to be suffering from slight water damage and visible mazes within walls or furniture. Termite infestations also can exude a scent similar to mildew or mold.
How do you know if you have termites in your walls?
Common signs of termite damage to a wall include:
- Small pin holes, where termites have eaten through the paper coating on drywall and/or wallpaper.
- Faint ‘lines’ on drywall.
- A hollow sound when you tap on the wall.
- Bubbling or peeling paint.
- Baseboards that crumble under slight pressure.
- Jammed doors or windows.
How do you know if you have structural damage from termites?
Signs of termite damage include the following:
- buckling ceilings or walls.
- the appearance of water damage.
- maze-like designs in wooden structures.
- mud tunnels on home foundations.
- swarms of termites themselves.
What does fresh termite damage look like?
Subterranean termites feed along the grain of softwood, leaving behind telltale “honeycomb”-like tunnels. Tap on any damage you notice with a hammer or screwdriver handle. If the noise sounds hollow, then it’s probably termite damage. If it doesn’t, then it may be water damage.
Do termites burrow through drywall?
Sometimes termites make small holes in the drywall paper. Subterranean termites use soil to fill these holes, drywood termites do not. If you notice small pin-sized holes in sheetrock (also spelled sheet rock) or wallpaper, schedule a termite inspection before moving forward with any repairs.
Do termites tunnel through drywall?
While termites prefer a diet of the cellulose in wood, they are absolutely willing to chew through other objects that contain cellulose to fill themselves up. For example, termites can and will chew through all kinds of building materials, including soil, sheetrock and, yes, drywall.
Do termites get in drywall?
Drywall, also called sheetrock, is used for walls and ceilings in homes. It is made of panels of plaster enclosed on both sides with thick sheets of paperboard. Since drywall is partially made of cellulose, termites can readily feed on the paper in drywall and cause damage.
How long does it take termites to destroy a house?
When a termite colony infests a home, it can take around three years for the damage to be noticeable. As mentioned above, the rate of damage depends on the size of the colony. If the colony is big enough, all the wood components in your house can be destroyed within eight years.
What kind of termites eat drywall?
Worker termites, which forage for food to return to the colony, are the most likely to cause damage to drywall and wood. If termites are present, you may notice signs of their activity in your walls and ceilings.
Can termites damage Sheetrock?
