I recently bought a house in late May, and I discovered some serious issues. There are rotten porch posts, which I suspect may have been damaged by carpenter ants. Last night, I checked the basement to see if the ants had made their way inside, and I found three floorboards with damage along the wall next to the porch. I'm really worried because I just installed new flooring in the living room directly above this area. Is there a way to replace these damaged boards from the basement without tearing up my new flooring? How bad is the situation?
2 Answers
From what I can see in your pics, the damage might be limited to the subfloor which is a good sign. It's important to get a pest control professional in to treat not just the visibly affected area but also a wider zone to prevent future issues. Make sure they also take care of anything outside where the ants could be coming from. If you handle the outside first, you might be able to replace those boards without ripping up your new flooring — but I’d really recommend getting it checked out fast!
It looks like you might be able to manage this without a huge mess! Since the worst seems to be in the subfloor, just make sure to focus on treating that area and check if the structure is okay. The key is to seal off the outside too so you don’t have more ants coming back! Definitely consider calling in a pro for the treatment.