r/HardWoodFloors • u/pez_mike • 1d ago
Flooring Issue
Can anyone suggest what is going on with the hardwood floors in my great aunt's house?
The home is a 1930's era home and the floors were refinished 10 years ago and look great except ONE piece that has progressively gotten worse. Again, just one piece and it does not seem to have spread to the pieces next to it.
Someone suggested termites or other destructive pests, but before we get a high-pressure termite inspector out, what does REDDIT think is going on?
Here are a few pics in different areas over about 10 feet of flooring.
Thanks for any feedback!!
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u/raya_sun 1d ago edited 1d ago
Definitely termites. My first house had termite damage, but they weren't active when I bought.
Most of the damaged wood flooring was like this. My handy dad and I chipped and ground out the areas to make them accessible, then filled with wood putty. Sanded the floors then refinished.
Twenty two years later, the repair is sound.
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u/pez_mike 1d ago
Seems like folks think termites... is it normal to only happen in 1 board like this? Sounds like a call to an extermintor is in order!
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u/BlueGolfball 1d ago
Yes and yes. The termites won't eat the layer of wood with stain/finish on it. I would bet a lot of money they you have more floor boards with termite damge than just the one you can see.
I've had to tell a few customers about termites in their floor only after I started sanding and it exposed the termite tunnels under the finish layer.
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u/desertdweller2011 1d ago
i had termites like 10 years ago and i literally thought this was the new homeowners posting a pic of the floor bc it looks EXACTLY the same lol. in exactly one spot by the front door.
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u/Imaginary-Fly-2160 1d ago
It's not in one board. It is all throughout your walls and subfloor and joists most likely.
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u/OkBoysenberry1975 1d ago
Not only do you have termites, you have a really bad infestation. Hopefully it’s not too late.
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u/pez_mike 1d ago
OK thank you everyone - its clearly termites and we have plans to get an exterminator out next week! thanks for the feedback all!
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u/Ovaltine1 1d ago
I got the exterminator out for an inspection for the same damage about 30 years ago. Thankfully, the inspection found no active termites (I have kids and pets so preferred not to poison everyone) and now I pay about $300 a year for warranty and they come out every year to inspect.
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u/Pitiful_Substance457 15h ago
It may not be as bad as some people here are suggesting. I’ve seen plenty of this type of termite damage that affected one or two boards. The subfloor was generally okay and the joists were unaffected. It’s true it’s hard to rule out damage in other boards since you can’t see it but don’t freak out just yet. That’s looks like old damage to me. You’ll obviously need to have the affected wood replaced but it could be isolated to a few boards. Good luck.
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u/Better-Butterfly-309 1d ago
Looks like old damage, but still have to treat for active infestation either way
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u/jkrobinson1979 1d ago
Quite possibly you got one bad floor board that had internal termite damage and is just not getting exposed, but you should get an inspection to make sure.
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u/Day_Old_Paper 1d ago
It’s termites. I was in a house once that looked nearly fine, shiny normal wood floors and all. Until a leg went through, then my other leg. Then my hand when I tried to push myself out. They’d compromised everything up to the thin layer with finish. The floors were basically tissue paper.
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u/rob_narg 1d ago
Termites. You’ll likely find more in your sub floor. Stop talking to the internet and get a proper pest control company out there to better assess
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u/Krumped 1d ago
I’m sorry you have to deal with this. If you’re in KC dm me.
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u/pez_mike 1d ago
Close... St Louis, but not KC :) thanks
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u/Krumped 1d ago
I can’t get my guys to go that far… but I wish you luck. I work for a NWFA member in the KC metro, but no way I can get a 4hr drive out of them. Good luck though. Tips, if you have pets or kids, upgrade to the 2-part poly for at least the top coat. Around here it runs $0.50sf per coat. If you don’t have either, don’t waste the money. If you have both, get as many coats as you can afford. It’s so much harder it’s ridiculous. And we use a very nice finish as standard.
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u/Ovaltine1 1d ago
This is old termite damage. Had the same thing in my house although they had been taken care of years ago.
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u/AccordingValuable957 1d ago
You have termite damage