Diagnose Wood Rot Siding

If you ve caught an instance of dry rot early enough it can be stopped with boric acid.

Diagnose wood rot siding. Boric acid is a powerful fungicide and can eradicate the rot causing fungi as long as they haven t penetrated more than 1 4 inch 0 64 cm into the wood. Obviously these vary in severity but if your home has wood siding it s a good idea to check up on it once in a while. There are a number of sings your wood siding is rotting. Condensation on the siding s underside can slowly destroy the walls.

There is not enough information to pinpoint the source of the problem but the cause of wood decay is always the same wood that gets wet and stays wet for too long at temperatures above 40 f. Look primarily for warping mildew buildup or insect infestation. For wood decay to begin the wood must be saturated with a moisture content over 28. Any bubbling blistering cracking or flaking paint should be a warning for you.

Paint can hide wood rot so poke the siding with the tip of the. How can you tell if your wood siding is rotting. Pay attention to the surface of siding frames exterior doors baseboards flooring and drywall. Using a screwdriver you can poke underneath the boards.

If it s soft you re dealing with wet rot. Sprinkle boric acid across wood that shows signs of dry rot.