Hi folks,
I would like to eventually finish my basement to create another bedroom and a gameroom. The problem is that the basement has a history of termites. When I bought the place, there were some old wooden shelves and scraps down there that were chewed to splinters. The house has been professionally treated and they’re gone now. Pest inspectors told me that the way the house is currently configured it would be unlikely for them to get out of the basement and into the main structure of the house. Basically I don’t want to put up wooden studs and other materials that will give them a highway directly to my floor joists should they make their way in again. Other than using metal studs, does anyone have suggestions for termite resistant materials to use to minimize my risk? Would it be practical to use some of these artificial materials they’re using for decks for floor sleepers and such? I assume they wouldn’t eat the core of drywall, but would they eat the paper backing?
Thanks for any suggestions,
Larry
Replies
Borate treat any wood you use. Not only kills termites, it also stops mold. Also, it's non toxic to mamals, like us.
Patrick,Is the treatment permanent or does it need to be redone periodically?Thanks,
Larry
Sorry fot the delay in reply. I was away.
Conventional wisdom is that borate treatments are permanent in wood which is not routinely exposed to moisture/water. I did hear recently that the treament is more resistant to water leach out than was believed. A Google on Boracare (one brand name) or "borate wood treatment" will yield much info.
I've also heard that wooden boat guys use ethylene glycol (as in anti freeze) to very good effect. You may not want to do that if you have children or pets.
Again, I apologize for the delay.
No problem on the delay, this is a bit of a long term project anyway. Thanks a lot to you and Danno for the information.Larry
As far as I know, the composite materials like those used for decks and such have very little strength, plus they tend to be pretty expensive. I'm not sure, but pressure treated lumber would be toxic to termites, wouldn't it? And it won't rot if there is any moisture. There is a problem with the new pressure treated (ACQ) with the fasteners corroding, but in a basement it really wouldn't be getting wet, so maybe not a problem (I heard that the fasteners corrode when the wood is damp).
If you post this on the "Breaktime" forum, you'll get some more answers.