ᐅ New hardwood flooring has small holes – woodworm beetles? Hardwood flooring in a new building
Created on: 23 Apr 2018 00:49
K
Khullx1
Hi,
about two months ago (at the end of February 2018), the flooring installer laid parquet flooring (Haro country oak planks, oiled) in our new apartment. Everything was covered with a very thin fleece to protect it from scratches or damage by other tradespeople. Most of the work is finally finished, and the move-in should take place in the next few days. However, after removing the fleece from most rooms today, we discovered some "strange" holes in one plank while vacuuming and cleaning. After a brief online search, we found a "suspicious" beetle in another room.
We have two pictures of the plank and one of the beetle. Can anyone help us and tell if we might have a problem or what exactly these images could show?
From what I found online, it seems similar to a "parquet beetle," and visually the holes look like that, and the beetle could match as well. But as laypersons, we can’t be sure.
If it is this type of beetle, does that basically mean we have to remove and replace the entire floor?
Here are the mentioned pictures (click to enlarge):
Plank Part 1
Plank Part 2
Beetle
Thank you very much for any help and best regards!
about two months ago (at the end of February 2018), the flooring installer laid parquet flooring (Haro country oak planks, oiled) in our new apartment. Everything was covered with a very thin fleece to protect it from scratches or damage by other tradespeople. Most of the work is finally finished, and the move-in should take place in the next few days. However, after removing the fleece from most rooms today, we discovered some "strange" holes in one plank while vacuuming and cleaning. After a brief online search, we found a "suspicious" beetle in another room.
We have two pictures of the plank and one of the beetle. Can anyone help us and tell if we might have a problem or what exactly these images could show?
From what I found online, it seems similar to a "parquet beetle," and visually the holes look like that, and the beetle could match as well. But as laypersons, we can’t be sure.
If it is this type of beetle, does that basically mean we have to remove and replace the entire floor?
Here are the mentioned pictures (click to enlarge):
Plank Part 1
Plank Part 2
Beetle
Thank you very much for any help and best regards!
Have the manufacturers and installers seen the photos? What do they say about them? I would get their feedback on this first. Is this completely normal and something that happens, or was it actually an insect infestation? How many of these insects have you found? How much surface area in total is affected by the holes?
Fummelbrett schrieb:
Have the manufacturer and installer seen the photos? What do they say about it? I would ask for their statements first. Is this normal and does it happen sometimes, or was it really an insect? How many of these insects have you found? How much surface area is affected by the holes overall?I believe only the installer has seen the photos. The manufacturer says it’s impossible for live insects or larvae to be present because the wood is supposedly heat-treated and/or impregnated and then packaged (sealed). The installer said that reclaimed wood is used for this, so supposedly nothing should happen because of that. I don’t know how to assess this.
Today we inspected additional areas and found a few more holes... in total maybe four to five more floorboards affected, with about ten to twenty holes in total. Sometimes three holes in one board, sometimes ten. But, like with the initial find, the damage is clearly limited to individual boards, even if some holes are close to the edge.
In terms of surface area, only a very small portion is affected. It’s always just sections of boards. Out of a parquet area of about 90-95sqm (970-1022 sq ft), we have checked around 75-80sqm (807-861 sq ft) so far and found infested spots of maybe 1sqm (11 sq ft). We can’t check the areas under the kitchen, which is about 5sqm (54 sq ft).
ypg schrieb:
Are the floorboards glued to the screed?Yes, the parquet is fully glued down because we have underfloor heating.
... With full bonding, it is most likely that the beetles or the holes were made _before_ the adhesive was applied, since it is unlikely that they can move within the adhesive layer.
I would suggest removing a board to check if the holes go all the way through. Also, document whether there is any wood dust present or not.
“Holes going through” and “no dust” are indicators that the damage was already there.
However, I find the discovery of the beetles at your place confusing, but it could also just be a coincidence.
Good luck!
I would suggest removing a board to check if the holes go all the way through. Also, document whether there is any wood dust present or not.
“Holes going through” and “no dust” are indicators that the damage was already there.
However, I find the discovery of the beetles at your place confusing, but it could also just be a coincidence.
Good luck!