How to fix rotted wood foundation

Wood rot (also known as brown rot) is one of the most damaging forces on household wood in the world.

Approximately 20 billion board feet of timber is destroyed by wood rot in the United States each year– far more destroyed wood than is damaged annually by fire!

Replacement wood used to repair damage caused by wood rot accounts for almost 10 percent of the annual wood production in the U.S. alone.

In the United Kingdom, wood rot problems have been credited for dealing about 150 million pounds worth of damage annually, and wood rot in general leads to about 17 billion dollars of damage each year in the United States.

Foundation Recovery Systems has a long history of experience in eliminating, preventing, and controlling wood rot infestations in homes throughout central Missouri and Eastern Kansas, including Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia, Moberly, and Springfield. If you have a wood rot problem in your home and would like more information, call or e-mail us today for a free wood rot control inspection!

Wood Rot is a term most often used to describe a particular kind of dry, cracking, rotting wood. However, wood rot occurs because of a variety of brown rot species, most notably the “true” wood rot fungus known as Serpula lacrymans. Wood Rot originally got its name from the thought that it didn’t need water to live, but instead used a fermentation process to survive. Research long ago proved that theory untrue, and wood rot is now more appropriately called “brown rot.”

What separates wood rot from other types of fungi, is that it needs much less moisture to survive. Mold and other types of fungi rely on moisture to survive, whereas wood rot can thrive on limited moisture. It’s been proven that wood rot will not even grow on surfaces that have too much moisture.

While wood rot is not the most common type of rot, it can deal serious damage to your home and endure conditions that are too dry for other types of rot to thrive. In fact, up to a 75% loss in the toughness of the wood is possible with just a 1% decrease in the wood’s weight of the wood.
Wood rot fungus spores are present in most homes and can survive for several years, waiting for the right conditions to grow.
Wood rot can pull moisture from moist areas to dry areas. It grows through mortar, concrete, masonry, and behind plaster.

Despite its name, wood rot needs moisture to produce spores– at least 28-30% moisture content within the wood with a relative humidity of 95% or higher. Most softwood timbers in dry homes, especially in the upper levels, have a moisture content of 12-15%.
Wood rot problems in basements and crawl spaces can easily be solved by controlling moisture by sealing and dehumidifying the space.
Treatment of the wood products such as boric acid is known to eliminate and prevent dry root fungi.

Before wood rot is able to grow, it will typically have multiple fungal spores gather, which gives off an appearance of red brick dust. Wood rot will stay in this state until the proper conditions allow for it to grow.

Since wood rot only needs a little moisture to survive, an outbreak will typically occur weeks or months after some sort of flood or moisture issue in your home. The unfortunate thing about wood rot is that once it’s able to be identified, it’s probably already caused a lot of damage. It is very difficult to detect wood rot early on before it causes damage. Once it’s identified, we recommend the following steps:

Remove Damaged Wood: All wood that shows decay or visible fungus should be removed, as well as all wood within one meter of the visible decayed material.

Remove Materials Near Damage: Plaster, paneling, linings, and ceilings around the wood rot areas can also contribute to the damage and should also be removed.

Wire Brush Affected Area: Using a wire brush, loose material is removed from all surfaces within 1.5 meters of the furthest edge of the infestation, including metal, masonry, and pipes. The resulting dust and debris are removed as well.

Disinfect area: A disinfectant is applied to all wood, masonry, and exposed soil in within 1.5 meters from the damage.

Rebuild: Substantially rot-damaged beams, joists, and posts are replaced with pressure-treated wood.

Preventing Wood Rot in a Crawl Space: Seal off all crawl space vents and door covers. Encapsulate the crawl space with a crawl space liner, then install a self-draining crawl space dehumidifier.

Wood Rot Alert! According to Architect’s Journal, it has been proven that wood rot can even grow in damp concrete, masonry, or behind plaster. This can be much more difficult to remove and can lead to other issues if not removed properly. If you notice any signs of wood rot anywhere in your home, it’s best to call in a professional right away.

Foundation Recovery Systems can help you eliminate wood rot problems at their source. We can dry your basement or crawl space, eliminate flooding problems, and seal out humidity.

Not only will this curb your wood rot problems, but it will also prevent any other fungi like mold or mildew from growing, as well as make your home less attractive to unwanted pests.

Foundation Recovery Systems has been dedicated to helping homeowners solve their home repair needs since 1992. We offer FREE, no-obligation dry basement and crawl space inspections in our service area. We can answer all your questions and point out the sources of humidity and moisture in your home.

We service central Missouri and Eastern Kansas, including Kansas City, Columbia, Moberly, and Springfield. Contact us today for your free waterproofing inspection!

If you see rotting wood in any of the support beams and posts in your crawlspace, it most likely means that you have a moisture problem. Excess moisture in your crawlspace can be a major factor contributing to wood rot that leaves your crawlspace’s structural integrity compromised. Water seepage is common in crawlspaces, since they are located underneath the surface of the ground, often below or even with the water table. Water is just one of the main factors that causes crawlspace wood rot.

There are four main elements that need to be present in order for wood rot to occur:

Wood
Oxygen
Warmth
Moisture

When combined in your crawlspace, these conditions result in the growth of fungi, which is what causes your wood to rot. That is why mold and wood rot are problems that are often seen hand in hand in Alabama crawlspaces. Only once you get rid of the actual fungus can you stop wood rot from reoccurring. Removing moisture without actually getting rid of the already present fungus is not a permanent solution for rot.

Aside from removing all traces of the rot-causing fungus, the only one of the four essential conditions for rot that can be effectively controlled is moisture. That is why moisture control is the best way to get rid of rot in your crawlspace.

We Can Get Rid of Wood Rot in Your Crawlspace

The first step in fixing your crawlspace is to have a rotten wood repair company get rid of rotted wood to remove the fungus and make sure it does not spread. This can be done by removing rotted wooden crawlspace beams and support posts and replacing them with long-lasting solutions that will not result in more wood rot.

For this aspect of the repair process, we offer crawlspace piers, floor supports, and floor joist repair options. Crawlspace piers can replace rotted support post and are made of steel, ensuring that they will not suffer from wood rot. We use only high-quality floor supports to replace and repair crawlspace beams and to keep wood rot from coming back.

We also offer mold removal to take care of any mold or mildew that might have appeared in the crawlspace. Not only will this service, which utilizes a technique known as mold soda blasting, removes mold from surfaces in your crawlspace, it will also clean crawlspace surfaces to get rid of harmful organisms.

Moisture Control to Keep Wood Rot from Coming Back

The most important step in rotten wood repair is to make sure that it does not come back. This can be done by implementing moisture control systems around your home. We offer the following solutions for complete moisture control in your Alabama crawlspace:

Surface Drainage: surface drainage involves various techniques used to prevent water from pooling in your yard. Water that is left to pool in your yard can slowly seep through the concrete foundation and into the crawlspace – keeping this water from doing so protects your crawlspace from wood rot.
Exterior Waterproofing: exterior waterproofing options like French drains and waterproof foundation membranes keep water from seeping through foundation cracks or soaking into the porous concrete walls of your home’s foundation. This reduces the amount of water that can enter your home in the first place, lowering the chances of crawlspace moisture.
Interior Waterproofing: If water does get in through your foundation, it is important to remove it right away to prevent high humidity and moisture levels in the crawlspace. The interior waterproofing system removes basement and crawlspace water, primarily, with the use of a sump pump system.
Crawlspace Encapsulation: this is the most vital step in protecting your crawlspace from wood rot. In the encapsulation process, a plastic vapor barrier is installed all along interior crawlspace surfaces. This barrier prevents water from seeping through the crawlspace walls and keeps out water vapor to prevent moisture entry.

Because all of these solutions reduce the amount of moisture that is allowed to enter and remain in your crawlspace, they help prevent wood rot from occurring. Contact our professional waterproofing and crawlspace repair team today to get help repairing the rotten wood in your crawlspace and ensure that your home is structurally sound. We offer free estimates for crawlspace vapor barrier encapsulation, mold removal and more in the state of Alabama. We are your number one rotten wood repair company in nothern Alabama and southern Tennessee.