How to repair termite damage?

Chris Williams
by Chris Williams

We had a terrible termite infestation in a section of the house and they damaged part of the wall, floor, and some furniture. The infestation has been treated but we now need advice on how to repair the damaged pieces. Please help!


  11 answers
  • Amanda Amanda on Nov 22, 2017

    Hi Chris. For your flooring, I would see if you can go to a resale salvage store that might have old flooring boards for sale. They might have one close to what you have. Then you can cut the area out and replace the boards. Otherwise get something as close to what you have and then refinish all of the floors.

  • PC Rotted Wood Repair kit.

  • Patti Nicholas Patti Nicholas on Sep 19, 2018

    With regards to your walls you need to first remove the outer layer, (drywall, paneling, etc.) then check for damage to the studs. You'll need to remove insulation to have a clear view. You’ll have to cut out the bad studs while replacing them with new ones, making sure not to compromise the structure. Don’t forget you may need to do the ceiling as well. Once that’s done and you are 100% sure there are no active termites in the building, you can then replace the insulation and drywall or whatever outer surface you want. Lots of work, but not terribly difficult for an experienced DIYer.

  • Kmdreamer Kmdreamer on Aug 04, 2018

    Hire a carpenter or handyman. You can find someone in your town paper.

  • Ann Cherkas Halstead Ann Cherkas Halstead on Jan 18, 2018

    You need to replace the wood. Termites do more damage than just eating the wood. They lay eggs in the bored areas and weaken the wood.

  • Ken Ken on Jan 18, 2018

    As long as the wood is not structural you can fill it with an auto body type filler like the one sold under the Bondo Home Solutions name. I have a half-used can of this in my shop right now and it does a great job making a durable surface on damaged wood.

  • Vimarhonor Vimarhonor on Jun 18, 2018

    Consider the epoxy putty for your repair needs. I have used OATEY epoxy putty for wood rot on doorway molding. It’s an effective waterproof solid filler that can be sanded and painted. You can even drill or nail into it. It’s an economical alternative for any type of cosmetic wood filling that is not structural in nature.

  • Holly Kinchlea-Brown Holly Kinchlea-Brown on Nov 18, 2017

    I would look for plastic wood in a shade (or shades) that are close to the colour of your floor, fill the holes and lightly sand smooth - try not to sand anything but the plastic wood. I say 'shades' as you may have to blend a couple of colours to get a good match to the existing floor.

  • Jean Myles Jean Myles on Nov 18, 2017

    You can buy wood filler that can be stained to fill the hole. They sell wood coloured markers in Home Depot you can get a couple of colours to blend and match your floor. Once everything is dry you can dab on some liquid sealer

  • Lena Lena on Nov 18, 2017

    The most inexpensive way I have found to repair damaged wood is Elmers Wood Glue. Fill the hole. If the hole is very deep you may want to just put some in it and let it dry, then put some more. If you are unhappy with the color you can buy a paint pencil and color it. But I think you will be happy with the shade it turns into. Let us know what you decide to do. I won't be offended if you use any of the other ideas. Thanks Lena

  • Joy30150932 Joy30150932 on Nov 19, 2017

    For furniture, you can purchase colored crayons in the color you need. Fill in the hole and then wipe off any excess with a solvent to smooth it. You can then put a layer of varnish on top and it will never move. I used the crayons on a friend's oak cabinets where they had holes around the handles. Varnished over it and it blended in nicely.