Custom Wood Repairs

For over 35 years, Chem Free Exterminating has helped Los Angeles and Orange County property owners repair the damage termites and fungus leave behind. Once an infestation has been treated, our licensed team handles the next step: restoring the structural wood so your home is safe and sound again.

One of the most common culprits we repair is dry rot, and if you catch the signs early, you can avoid a much bigger (and more expensive) problem down the road.

What Is Dry Rot?

Dry rot is a type of brown rot decay caused by wood-destroying fungi that thrive in poorly ventilated areas of a building. Left unchecked, it spreads through structural timber and weakens everything it touches.

Signs of dry rot include:

• Wood that looks dark, cracked, or crumbly
• Timber that crushes into a powder-like texture when pressed
• A musty, damp smell near affected areas
• Wood that feels soft or spongy to the touch

An active dry rot outbreak is considered a serious infestation. It's difficult to fully eradicate and, if ignored, can cause enough structural instability to lead to collapse in severe cases.

How We Repair Dry Rot Damage

Repairing dry rot isn't just about swapping out damaged wood and calling it done. If the fungus behind the decay isn't fully addressed, it can keep spreading through the structure long after the visible damage is gone. That's why we treat dry rot repair as a two-part process, each step handling a different part of the problem.

Step 1: Remove and Replace Damaged Wood

Before any repair work begins, our technicians identify exactly how far the decay has spread, since dry rot often extends further into a structure than what's visible on the surface.

• Assess the extent of the damage - We check surrounding wood, not just the area where the decay is obvious, since fungus can spread through timber before any outward signs appear.
• Remove structurally weakened wood -  Any timber that's lost its integrity is cut out and removed. Leaving compromised wood in place, even partially, risks continued instability.
• Install new, sound wood - The removed sections are replaced with new timber, matched and fitted to restore the structure's strength and stability.

This step deals with the damage that's already been done. But on its own, it doesn't stop the fungus that caused it in the first place, which is where the second step comes in.

Step 2: Treat With Borate

Once the damaged wood has been replaced, we apply a borate treatment to both the new wood and the surrounding existing wood. This step is what actually stops dry rot from coming back.

• Kill remaining fungal spores -  Borate penetrates the wood and eliminates any spores still present, even in sections that didn't need to be replaced.
• Protect new wood from day one - Because the replacement timber is treated as part of the process, it's protected against future fungal growth before it's ever exposed to the same conditions that caused the original damage.
• Create a barrier in surrounding wood - Treating the wood around the repair, not just the repair itself, helps prevent the fungus from re-establishing in adjacent areas.

This combination doesn't just patch the visible damage. It protects the wood underneath so the problem doesn't quietly resurface a year or two later.