Do termites eat laminate flooring? Need an answer to this question, then continue reading. Termites are a huge gregarious species that live in colonies. These colonies constantly consume throughout the day because they are also ravenous. There are around 2,000 species of termites that have been identified, making them not only numerous but also diverse.

So do termites eat laminate flooring? Termites may also eat laminate flooring by removing the laminate’s backing. The timber in the flooring may deteriorate and give way to termite infestation if left unattended for a long period. An excessive amount of squeaking may indicate a termite-damaged floor.

Do Termites Eat Laminate Flooring?

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Do termites eat laminate flooring? Yes, they do. Termites will eat almost anything that contains wood. They’ve also been known to eat materials that don’t have any trace of wood, such as linoleum and laminate flooring.

Laminate flooring is also known as floating wood tile. If termites find their way into your home, you will soon see termite damage on laminate.

Excessive squeaking is usually the first sign. Although this is similar to water damage, it’s more likely to be termites if the area is protected from water.

Unlike hardwood, laminate flooring can’t hide termite activity until it’s too late. Because the floating wood tiles are so thin, any damage will immediately damage their structural integrity.

Hollow sounds could also indicate termite presence or water damage. The best way to tell is to look underneath the flooring and check for telltale termite tubes. So, do termites eat laminate flooring? You bet! Can you fix the damage? Sadly no.

Because laminate flooring is thin and not all that durable, the only thing left to do is remove it, eradicate your termite problem, and lay down new flooring. The damage happens very quickly, and often you’ll have nothing left to work with.

How To Check For Termite Damage In Laminate Flooring

How can homeowners determine whether insect squatters reside in their laminate flooring and walls? In the end, it all comes down to recognizing the warning signs. It is extremely unlikely that you will ever come into direct contact with termites because they typically live underground or in wooden structures like the walls and floors of your home.

You should watch these three telltale termite signs because most homeowners are unaware of their unwanted housemates until it’s too late.

Termite frass consists of tiny, ridged pellets that are wood-colored and have a wood-like appearance. You’ll find little piles throughout your home near their entry points.
Mostly noticeable at wall joints and bases, termites produce a mud-like, earthen-colored packing on the laminate flooring wood surface or the ground surface outdoors.
As termites hollow out hardwood and laminate floors during their excavation process, you’ll hear audible tapping noises once your floors and walls have become severely infected.

Termites Food Preference

No doubt about it, most termites have certain food preferences. Some people favor a certain amount of moisture or hardness in their wood. These insects may, however, consume various building materials, especially ones that resemble wood.

The fact that termites consume dead plants at any stage of decomposition must be understood. This indicates that there are several composites available that occasionally catch their eye.

How Do Termites Ruin Floors?

It can be difficult to fix termite damage to a floor. Since they typically prefer the softer wood used in the subfloor and supporting components beneath the visible flooring, termites rarely restrict their destruction to the visible portion of a floor.

Laminate surfaces

Termites can harm the laminate’s subfloor. Termite infestations can cause damage to laminate flooring that resembles typical water damage. Infected areas of laminate will blister and sag. The buckled areas will reveal a hollow network of tunnels upon closer inspection.

Even termites have been known to chew small holes in the laminate. It is frequently necessary to rip up old laminate and install new flooring to address damage to laminate flooring. It is impossible to repair laminate flooring that termites have harmed.

Wood Floor

Although the damage is frequently not immediately apparent to homeowners, hardwood floors may display signs of termite damage. However, if the infestation is left untreated for several years, the wood may weaken and crumble when used in everyday activities.

Softwoods are more likely to be consumed by termites than hardwoods. You most likely have termite damage to the wood underneath the hardwoods, including the subfloor and supports, if your termite specialist confirms that your hardwood floor has termite damage around it.

A Hollow Noise

Termite-caused wood damage may sound hollow. After eating wood, termites can leave voids in flooring, baseboards, and adjoining walls. To help determine whether or not there is a hidden termite infestation, inspectors frequently tap on the wood to listen for a hollow sound.

Wood filler can fix minor damage to an oak or other hardwood floor. After the filler has dried and been used to fill holes, it can be sanded, stained, or sealed.

Termite-damaged oak boards frequently require total replacement. Termite tubes are suspended from the beams holding up a wooden floor.

Loose Floor Tiles

Tiles may come loose, and the floor may start to sag if termites harm the joists that support the floor. The additional moisture that termites might introduce to a floor can cause loose floor tiles, which is a sign of termites. The tiles could heave and buckle as a result of the moisture, which could make them loose. The adhesive may become weaker as the tiles get older and may fail if moisture is introduced to the backing.

When this happens, the tile may even move and become loose under a person’s weight. The vinyl tiles that are installed after the backer tape has been removed during construction are an example of pliable, soft tiles that become loose when moisture causes the adhesive to fail.

Termite activity or leaks can cause older tiles, which may be made of parquet or laminate wood, to swell when exposed to moisture and become loose. Leaks or excessive moisture can cause a termite infestation because termites require moisture.

Simple Ways To Stop Termites From Invading Your Home

The following actions can be taken to stop termites from spreading and guarantee that the treatment is effective:

Declutter Your Home: It’s crucial to start a decluttering drive in your home, regardless of whether you hired professionals to treat your home for bed bugs or termites. Pay close attention to discarded papers, cardboard, old magazines, and newspapers because these materials are ideal habitats for pests like termites. Make sure never to move any furniture or other items from a room that termites have attacked to an area of your home that termites aren’t attacking.
Keep Earth and Wood Separate: If you have a garden, make sure that some space separates the soil and wood. Most experts agree that a minimum spacing of eighteen inches is crucial. This will lessen the likelihood that termites may attack your house’s furniture and foundation. In your patios, gardens, etc., you can use stones or cement to divide soil from the wooden area to create a physical barrier for termites.
Fix Leaks: Take note of any leaking or decaying areas in your home. Termites find the deteriorated roofs and moist walls to be ideal hosts. Quickly fix and seal any leaks, and regularly inspect your home, paying special attention to basements or dark areas. These locations are the first to draw pests and are frequently disregarded. Given its proximity to the earth and ease of assault by termites, a leak in the basement can be particularly alluring.

Apply Borate to Wood Before Priming or Painting: Borate is one of the most well-liked termite repellents. Before priming and painting, you can spray borate on wood. Termites are essentially kept from biting and gnawing on the wood because it soaks into it. Once the termite spray has dried, you can use it to create window frames, doors, furniture, etc., by priming, painting, and finishing it as usual. For many years, termites can be repelled by this borate spray.
Items with Termite Damage Should Be Placed in the Sun: If you discover that a piece of furniture has termites, you should place it in the sun for at least three days straight. Since termites cannot withstand the heat, this termite prevention method can be effective in the summer. The sun’s heat will kill the termites and evaporate moisture from the furniture, reducing the likelihood of a subsequent infestation. The wise move in this situation would be to thoroughly dust the furniture and apply a termite spray before bringing it back into the house. To keep your furniture free of termites, you can take the same precautions with any pieces that termites might not impact.

Conclusion On Do Termites Eat Laminate Flooring?

Now that you know that termites regularly consume composite materials such as laminate flooring and other materials besides wood, you might be wondering why. It’s partly because the sublayers of laminate flooring closely resemble wood.

The animals simply need food, so if nothing else is available, they will probably turn to the best or closest item they can find to put on the menu.

To reproduce, they also require food. Therefore, don’t be shocked if your laminated floors develop holes or show signs of a mud-like substance around the joints. We hope we have answered your questions on “do termites eat laminate flooring?”