Identifying Termites vs ants
On a daily basis, termites attack homes. The interesting thing is, most poeple cannot identify what a termite looks like. Both species of bugs have winged versions. Take a good look at the picture on the right. It's really important to identify what kind of bug you have prior to treatment and eradication. The simplest method to identify a flying ant vs. a flying termite is to visually measure the wing length. A flying termite has wings that are equally long. The flying ant on the other hand, has uneven wing lengths. It's that simple.
If you have termite damage, don't worry, we can help. Termite damage is the sort of problem that is common place and there are some basics to understanding what is going on in your home. With any hardwood problem, it's vital to correct the root issue prior to any repairs. Above, you can see an example of termite damage in the sub-floor. Detection is simple and can be determined if you take something sharp and poke at the floor. If the sharp object, like a knife, penetrates into the floor, it's because the wood has lost it's integrity. The wood is typically hollow with channels eaten out of them. In this example, we stuck a pry-bar underneath the floor and easily lifted the damaged area. We did this repeatedly until we identified "All" of the damaged sub-floor. Since the termites were eradicated, we then patched/replaced the sub-floor sections.
The basic types of termites we have seen | Drywood termites | Subterranean termites
Termites don't work at destroying your home as fast as you might think, but the real problem lies in "Anyone's" ability to detect the pests. Since we don't have the ability to see through walls, you just don't know how much damage you have experienced. The "Only" way to completely get rid of termites is to gas them.
Hardwood floor termite damage repair | Hardwood restoration | resurfacing
The picture on the left shows how we "Weaved" the new hardwood floor into the old wooden floor. This is absolutely necessary to achieve a natural appearance at the end of the project. Next, we Sand and Finished the hardwood floor and added a Stain to the red oak hardwood floor. Once the stain dried, we top coated the floor with 3 coats of commercial grade polyurethane.