In the UK, woodworm is a very common household pest that affects the wooden aspects of homes.
Depending on the severity of the infestation, the cost of treating woodworm can be quite high, not to mention the damage to furniture and the structural integrity of your home.
A woodworm problem can be time-consuming and complicated, mostly because there are three different types of woodworm found in the UK and each one needs dealing with differently.
Some woodworm issues can be fixed relatively easily using DIY methods whereas others require professional help and costly treatment.
That’s why it’s important to get as much information as possible to correctly and swiftly deal with this pesky pest.
This article will cover what you can expect to pay to treat woodworm, the factors that affect the cost and common questions around treating woodworm.
Average Cost
It’s pretty much impossible to give an exact answer for the cost of woodworm treatment since individual situations have individual requirements.
To get a grasp on how much woodworm treatment costs, it’s essential to identify which type of woodworm is present in your home, which we’ll look at in more detail later in this article.
Once you know which woodworm you’re dealing with, you can understand what are the best measures to undertake in order to remove it.
Equally, the size of the infected area is a determining factor of the treatment cost. An infestation in a small piece of furniture, for example, is a different story than one that is spreading through floorboards!
Generally, the cost of treating woodworm ranges from £450-£1000, equalling around £30 per 25 sq m.
At the lowest end of the price bracket are DIY spray treatments while at the higher end are situations that require a professional opinion and more invasive treatment.
If you opt for a DIY approach – and this is only advisable for small affected areas infected by the least damaging type of woodworm, you’ll need to pick up some chemicals.
These cost between £10 and £40, depending on the brand and type, and you’ll also need to invest in proper brushes and adequate protection (gloves and masks, which cost between £10 and £15) as well as a spray gun, which can set you back between £25 and £50.
However, a larger infestation calls for professional help. Although it might cost a lot upfront, this method comes with a guarantee that the problem will be properly eradicated.
Enlisting an expert to deal with your woodworm problem ensures correct identification of the type of woodworm and accurate and lasting treatment. It is also safer for both your health and that of your home and family, not to mention any pets!
Professional treatment can cost up to £1000 and that’s not including the initial survey, which usually costs around £150 and lasts between 2 and 4 hours, depending on the size of your house.
The good news is that a company will normally offer a discount on the survey if you go ahead with treatment by them.
How Long Does Woodworm Treatment Last?
To ensure lasting results, it’s important to administer a treatment that will eradicate woodworm in every stage of their life cycle.
Professional woodwork treatment has the bonus of coming with a guarantee that generally lasts for around 20 years, meaning you can sleep easily.
A major setback of DIY jobs is that there is no way to ensure the treatment will last. If you’re not a woodworm expert, it is difficult to know that you have correctly treated the problem in its entirety, which means it might come back.
Now that we’ve had an overview of how much woodworm treatment costs, let’s take a closer look at this domestic pest to help you understand the best way to tackle an infestation.
Get Pricing on Woodworm Treatment Near You
We’ve done our best to give you a good idea of what you can expect to pay to remove a treat woodworm.
However, our guides are not a substitute for a fixed quote specifically for you.
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About the Author
Alex Johnson is a qualified quantity surveyor and writer with a passion for conducting original research and uncovering the true cost of jobs. His cost data has been referenced by EDF Energy and the Scottish Government.