Real Estate Articles
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Keeping Your Wood Porch off the Lunch Menu
- March 20, 2007 in Home Tips
- Information collected from "Porch Presence" written by Sally Fennell Robbins
Among other things, the major enemy to wood is rain, not only because it can disintegrate your porch, but also because it has its way of boosting the termite population. Although water dries and nothing appears on the surface, eventually dampness can become trapped in the joints, between the floorboards, or collect around the bottom of the porch posts, or wherever the wood meets the ground. Once moisture is trapped, that's when the insect decay starts.
Property-damaging pests cause billions of dollars in destruction to real estate every year and harm done by termites alone affects two million homes annually. Subterranean termites are common throughout most of the United States, even in the far northern states and some areas of southern Canada as well as in Mexico. With wood as their main diet, they tend to feed on piers and supports, foundation walls, and framing, among other areas.
Since the outdoors is relentless in raging its battle against your wood porch, fighting back is essential to its preservation. Negligence can transform slight renovations into major ones. Here's some practical wisdom to help get your wood porch off the termite's menu:
Protect against moisture
To help protect against moisture, seal the seams of the posts that meet the wooden floors with a silicon caulking. Examine the flashings, or the materials used to cover and protect certain joints and angles of your porch
Treat your porch
It is important to do something to the wood itself, because if you don't, it's only a matter of time before it starts to rot. Options include a clear coating that contains a preservative, and exterior stain, or paint-on oil based exterior primer topped with a latex or oil based finish coat.
Give it a little time
New porch flooring requires protection, but do not apply anything until about six months after construction has been completed. Pressure treated woods and cedar and pine are not porous when fresh. They require a period of weatherization before they can adequately absorb any finish.
Remove unnecessary debri
Be sure to remove dirt from the steps and floor, especially during non-use seasons. Otherwise, protective finishes will erode more quickly and encourage moisture getting into the wood flooring.
For an in-depth look at not only preserving, but also planning, building, decorating, and repairing your wonderful porch, Pamela Boyer recommends "Porch Presence: Interior Design for the Exterior Room" written by Sally Fennell Robbins.
