Wood Rot Explained
Short videos from our carpenters, filmed on real Vancouver homes: what wood rot is, how to spot it and where it starts.
Book Free 20-Point InspectionWood Rot Explained: Video Guides
Short videos from our carpenters, filmed on real Vancouver homes.
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What Is Wood Rot? Dry Rot and Wet Rot Explained
What the video covers
What is wood rot, and what does it look like? Wood rot is damage that happens when wood gets soaked and a specific fungus starts to eat it. From the outside, a board can still look good. Turn it over and you can see there is no solid wood left. Rot in structural parts such as posts, stairs and decks is hazardous, because the wood can give way under your weight and you can get hurt. It is better to look after your wood and catch rot before it becomes serious.
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How Can You Tell If You Have Wood Rot?
What the video covers
How can you tell if you have wood rot? Start by looking for the source of water. Most of the time it is gutters, where water gets in underneath, or a place where water can sit for a long time. If you are not sure what to look for, start with wood that already looks damaged. Then press on it with your finger or a screwdriver wherever something looks wrong. Soft wood lets the screwdriver sink in. Solid, healthy wood does not.
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Healthy Wood vs Rotten Wood: What's the Difference?
What the video covers
What is the difference between healthy wood and wood damaged by rot? Here are three boards, and one of them is rotten. See how easily the rotten board crumbles and how it looks. Rotten wood also has a specific smell, the smell of wood that has already given up.
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Where Can Wood Rot Appear on Your Home?
What the video covers
One of the most common places wood rot appears is near the ground. In this example, siding that sits down onto the deck stays wet, with water dripping and sitting on the bottom plate. We replace the cedar siding and the structural elements underneath, because after a few years of being soaked they are completely damaged. Rot is not only on top. It is worse wherever there is no proper drainage, and in closed-in areas where wood can stay wet for a long time even when it is no longer raining.
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The Most Common Places Wood Rot Starts
What the video covers
What is one of the most common places wood rot starts to spread? Fascia boards. After a fascia is cut and painted, the paint can crack and moisture gets inside, and the wood slowly starts to rot. From the outside it looks fine, but it is not. The job is to understand how bad the problem is and where the good wood still is. For that we use a moisture meter, and we look at the cut to see how the wood looks. You do not always need to replace the whole fascia. Sometimes it is only the last few feet. Other times the fascia is rotten not only at the end but in the middle or any other spot where moisture gets in.
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Can Posts Rot? Rotten Deck and Porch Posts
What the video covers
Can posts rot? Yes, and this is what it looks like. This post is a four-by-four and it is totally rotten. It depends where posts stand. They can hang off the stairs, stand in the ground, or be part of the deck itself, where water does not drain away and sits around the beam. This is what happens to wood that is exposed to water and fungus for a long time. It matters less if the post is not holding anything structural, but if it is holding up something like a deck, it can be really dangerous for you and your family. Take care of it sooner rather than later.
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Wood Rot in Siding: What It Looks Like
What the video covers
Can siding have wood rot? Yes, even cedar siding, and even vertical siding. We assumed water was not sitting on this wall, but yesterday we repaired this spot and you can see how it looks before and after. Around this cut there was a rotten board. We replaced only one piece of siding, matched the same texture and size, and painted over it. So even when water is not sitting on the siding, water dripping through the edges can get inside if the siding was not sealed properly.
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Can Your Deck Have Wood Rot? What to Check
What the video covers
Can your deck have wood rot? Yes, for sure. A deck is exposed to rain all the time, and water can sit on top of it for a long period. It depends on how it was built and which materials were used. The deck boards themselves are the first thing to check, like here, where you can see they are already rotting. Underneath, the joists and other structural parts the deck sits on can soak for a long time if they are not protected, and when we check them they can be half rotten. So check your deck before every season, and after the rainy season in Vancouver.
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How to Protect Wood From Rot
What the video covers
How can we protect wood? For new wood installed on a house, the most we can do is apply a specific wood protection chemical to every cut edge of every board. The same applies to parts that will be exposed to water for a long period, like joists. We apply the protection underneath the board or on top, depending on the case. Wood that is not protected will not last long if it is exposed to constant moisture. And if you have fungus somewhere in your house, most of the time you will not have only one problem, because fungus spreads.
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