Dry Rot & Wet Rot

Dry Rot Specialists

Apart from woodworm and general timber treatment and preservation services, we also offer specialist Dry Rot and Wet Rot treatment and eradication. These two timber diseases needed to be treated very differently but most importantly they need to be correctly diagnosed. Treating Wet Rot which has been wrongly diagnosed as Dry Rot could result in further problems. We have seen many cases where the two diseases have been confused and therefore wrongly diagnosed and wrongly treated.

Dry Rot

Dry rot is a fungal timber decay which typically occurs in poorly ventilated conditions; typical symptoms include cracking and powdering of the timber.

Wet Rot

Wet rot is a brown rot (also fungal) which generally affects timbers with a high or very high moisture content; Wet Rot (as the name suggests) prefers damp or wet conditions which allow the fungal spores to develop and break down the integrity of the wood.

It is quite common for Wet Rot to turn into Dry Rot when the ambient humidity levels fall, providing the ideal conditions for the Dry Rot spores to develop and rapidly spread. It is important to note that the rapid travel of Dry Rot is not confined to timber alone - Dry Rot can spread through masonry because the spores are air-borne. The spread of Dry Rot can be alarming, which is why it is so essential to obtain the earliest diagnosis possible.


Our Advice

If you suspect your may have an outbreak of Wet Rot or Dry Rot (even if you are not sure which), we recommend you obtain a professional opinion from a timber treatment and preservation expert as soon as possible. Please do not delay as the increased cost can be considerable due to the speed at which Dry Rot can travel through buildings.