This is Roger Tinker, Owner and General Manager of ALL STAR PEST CONTROL in Columbus
Georgia. I want to talk about how wooden steps, wooden railings and wooden decks can attract
termites to your home and cause thousands of dollars in damage.
We will then discuss how to prevent this from happening.
Any wood that is in contact with the ground will attract termites as wood is their main food source.
Wooden steps that touch the ground will attract the termites. I have seen many steps that have had to
be replaced because of termite and or wood decay fungus damage. The way that insulates, which
means you get the wood out of contact with the ground, is to cut about eight inches off the bottom of
the steps and place a cement block under the steps.
Wooden railings are a bit more of a challenge to insulate. A metal railing is the best way. If this is not
possible you can use pressure treated lumber, however, A good wood sealer will add life to the
pressure treated lumber. Unfortunately, I have seen a lot of pressure treated wood that termites attack
after the wood is only a few years old.
For wooden decks that have the support beams in the ground, I recommend the following. Concrete
Deck blocks are approximately 11” x 11” x 8” tall. The support beams are placed in the block which
insulates the deck from the ground. These cost about ten dollars apiece and are well worth the
money.
This will make your support beams last much longer and will not attract termites to these beams.
Please fell free to contact me if I can help you in any way.
