How To Repair Termite Damage in Wall Framing

How to repair termite damage in wall framing (not a load bearing wall). In this video I remove old studs that were damaged by termites and then later infested with carpenter ants. The framing was around a window that was leaking, which is probably what started the whole issue to begin with.
Read more about how I found the termite damage in the first place here:
themerlworkshop.com/2020/08/1...
#homerepair #diy #termitedamage
My Website: themerlworkshop.com
Instagram: / themerlworkshop

[@SanderOpdam]

I appreciate the information about preferring nails over screws for framing.

[@christopherdekonstrukt444]

You're helping me by posting this video. I have a lot of termite damage in my house. You don't see the extent until you start tearing out sheet rock.

[@Arthur-ek7nd]

Exactly what I needed, thanks. My sill plate is solid still, but there are a couple studs that I can tear apart with my bare hands. Gotta get them replaced asap.

[@paulaclark9729]

Thanks. I have similar problem and little money. To date you have the best video on how to correct that.

[@KyleMerl]

Thanks I'm glad it helped you. Good luck on your repairs

[@bradbaker5707]

Great vid! Not replacing any studs anytime soon but kearned a lot!

[@Richard-do1hb]

Great Stuff Pro Foam Gun. Great for little weather sealing projects, I’ve been using it to weatherproof penetrations and sill plates. The pro foam that’s sold is also fire resistant, so I’ve also been using it AROUND electrical boxes to seal between the mud ring and drywall. (Never inside boxes)

[@KyleMerl]

Yea I've been meaning to get one of those guns. Stops your hands from getting all sticky! Also, I found if you do make a mess with spray foam, baby wipes are great at cleaning it up if you get to it before it dries.

[@diegodelapuente1665]

Awesome how-to video!!

[@KyleMerl]

Thanks!

[@kathyvan7663]

THANK YOU FOR. SHARING WALLS. REPAIR. IT. HELP US TO WHAT TO DO.

[@toddavis8603]

10d and 12d common nails are great for framing-----three to a stud end or joint.

[@rkips5769]

Thanks for sharing ... I have some termite damage as well. Your video has given me some insight on how to repair my damage.

[@KyleMerl]

Glad it helped. Hopefully yours isn't on a load bearing wall. I'll be covering how to repair damage in a load bearing wall in a future video.

[@Loonypapa]

Everyone should be aware that the brick and plywood portion of a modern exterior (single-wythe, standard brick) wall has no vertical load-bearing capacity. A standard brick single-wythe cavity wall will buckle without the wood framing behind it. The brick is a facade element, not a structural element.

[@christopherdekonstrukt444]

In my garage they got all the way up to the top plate. I'll know more when I remove some of the sheetrock near the lower slope of the roof by the garage door header, which is shot.

[@brandonsmith9742]

I have termite damage in the house I just bought. My biggest problem (since I can't repair all of it right now) is how to weather seal the sill plates. You gave me some ideas. Thanks

[@KyleMerl]

glad i could help! good luck

[@briank8482]

What state are you having termite problems? You can use PVC material for the sill plate or go with Bora Care as the guy above mentioned.

[@tonyaction5284]

Not bad. You did a pretty great job. I just subscribed to your channel to see more updated videos and check out prior videos🤙🏼

[@KyleMerl]

Thanks William, I appreciate that

[@jorgemurillo8759]

Thank u For The video helped me replace entire wall in Kitchen

[@KyleMerl]

Glad it helped

[@roofermarc1]

I'm doing my wood shop and using everything treated, Every board I replace. And will also use some kind of poison in walls before closing. I will not go through this again. Also trenching and bait stations. Plus getting rid of all the junk I have around there also feeding on.

[@linmann6534]

I have the same problem and I don't want it to happen again. Please share the types of treatment you are using. Thanks.

[@christopherdekonstrukt444]

I have brick face on my house too and entire garage header is shot from termites. I need to learn how to do this myself. I'm a cabinet and furniture man; fixing damaged framing and load bearing walls will be a challenge as this will be a first for me.

[@KyleMerl]

Yea in this particular video im not working on a load bearing wall. If you're unsure on how to support it you should be able to get a structural engineer report on it. It's not as expensive as it sounds. I had to get one to assess our foundation. I'd think they should be able to help with how to support load bearing walls too. Definitely want to make sure you understand how to support it properly

[@alfguez7461]

Thank you. You just give me an idea how to solve my problem.

[@KyleMerl]

Happy to help

[@alfguez7461]

Done!! I wish I can share some pictures. Thank you again!

[@bowler6252]

Your repair work stinks do it the correct way or do not do it and you are telling others how to? Really

[@KyleMerl]

@@bowler6252 what stinks about it expert Norman Reed?

[@bowler6252]

What kind of codes do you have in your area and you have the nerve to ask for money. Do it the correct way or do not do it.

[@sdmerkr]

Hope you sprayed BoraCare all over that fresh wood so that can be avoided in the future.

[@KyleMerl]

I'm not familiar with BoraCare. Maybe I'll look into that when I finish the job from the exterior in the Spring. Thanks for the tip.

[@bigeyejim]

Dude! Cover up those Dr. Seuss Books, they're golden!! LOL. Reality I have to do the same dang thing.

[@KyleMerl]

Lol now I'm going to have to rewatch my video and find where the dr suess books are! Good luck with ur damage... termites suck

[@isackhernandez3691]

Would it be ok to add another wall ontop and make it 8 inch insulation? My studs are not damaged but over 60 years old.

[@KyleMerl]

yea you can build a double wall, where basically you build a new interior wall in front of the current exterior one. You could use unfaced insulation on the exterior wall and then faced insulation on the interior wall. You will need to make extension jambs for your windows though.

[@amybrown6298]

We bought a two story home that was later discovered covered with termites (we had both a termite and home inspection completed :-(). I was removing the drywall from the basement back bedroom and noticed all of the termite trails. After getting all of the drywall and insulation down, I then discovered that the 2x4 sill plate (?) was mush…. This interior wall is located on the exterior part of the house. Also the sheathing is also rotted and I can see brick through so that tells me the house was not wrapped…. We can’t remove the brick so how do you suggest to fix that? Also can you remove little by little of the 2x4’s or would you need to build a temp wall to add support? TIA!!

[@KyleMerl]

Ugh... I feel your pain! When you replace the sill plate you want to do as much as possible at a time. Ideally your sill plate would be one solid piece of wood. As far as the sheathing goes, hard to replace without removing the brick. Maybe try to figure out where moisture is getting behind the brick. Leaky windows? Cracks in the brick? Not getting rain water away from the house far enough?

[@eddyhaze8239]

was there any termite trails on the outside of the house ?

[@bhadz100]

Quick question for the stud that’s not fully damaged, I assumed that you only cut the rotted portion. How did you attach the new wood to the good old portion?

[@KyleMerl]

Using construction adhesive and screws I attached another stud on the side of them to connect them both together. I also used adhesive between both of them. If you need to you could just add another stud next to the damaged one from floor to ceiling as well. Hope that makes sense.

[@bhadz100]

@@KyleMerl so either I sister a whole stud beside it or just cut out that portion , screw and glue almost the same length of what you cut out. Attach it on the side? Thanks

[@jeffreymccormick9280]

We got termites in the corner of our garage. I can see brick now, since the termites ate through yhe sheathing. My question is, how do you replace the sheathing? And how do you keep it in place?

[@KyleMerl]

I havent figured that out yet. Only idea I had was to make "sheathing panels" that could be installed between each of the studs. Basically itd be a piece of plywood with two strips on the inside to use to screw into the studs. I'd wrap the outside of it with building wrap. I would try to make it so it covers the outside of one stud. It's really not ideal but could help keep pests out. Hopefully all of that makes sense.

[@msangel616]

Did you also spray to kill the termites or hire a professional for that? I am looking into buying a home that has some slight termite damage and the home inspector told me if you don't kill them in the soil then they're just waiting for the next "food" to feed on.

[@KyleMerl]

it would be a good idea to have someone come out to treat if you think they are still an issue. Me personally, I would hire someone

[@melissaschilling1138]

I'm wondering why you didn't use pressure treated wood for the replacement studs. I'm going through this too, and I'm going to replace everything with pressure treated wood.

[@KyleMerl]

It's good for a sill plate where wood meets concrete but I personally don't like it for framing the rest of the walls... it's more expensive, I don't like the chemicals in it, and I don't really like working with it.

[@melissaschilling1138]

@@KyleMerl gotcha. Where I live we have dry wood termites that can come into the house ANYWHERE.

[@KyleMerl]

@@melissaschilling1138 then it's probably a good choice! I think theres a wood treatment that you can use specifically for termites too. Some other people mentioned it in the comments here somewhere. Goodluck!

[@orosas4683]

Do you have any suggestions on eliminating termites and prevention from them?

[@KyleMerl]

I have never had to get rid of them so I cant speak to that but to help prevent them the big thing is to make sure you dont have leaks and make sure you dont have wood coming into contact with dirt. They like wet wood that's in contact with dirt.

[@orosas4683]

@@KyleMerl thanks

[@stellijer]

What is the stuff which looks like it was troweled into some of the studs? Some kind of wood putty? And what if the studs are mostly solid, but with tunnels and grooves, and you just want to fill them up, to strengthen the wood, instead of completely replacing it?

[@KyleMerl]

The stuff on the studs is vapor barrier left behind from the old insulation. I don't think filling the grooves with wood putty would necessarily add any strength, and filling tunnels would be very difficult. I prefer to err on the side of caution and replace as much as possible. In my opinion, anything not replaced should be treated or sprayed, preferably by a professional, as they should know the correct poison to use. The last thing you want is a reinfestation.

[@stellijer]

@@KyleMerl Understood, about reinfestation. I'm thinking partly about filling the tunnels in apparently mostly solid wood in order to appear dealt with. Some of the wood, like the top plates, would be prohibitively difficult to replace.

[@christopherdekonstrukt444]

Mine goes all the way to the ceiling in the kitchen, the entire wall will have to be rebuilt and plumbing and electrical rerouted.

[@AS-fd4rt]

I just bought a house that needs this exact work... I dont even know the terminology. I have a concrete slab and the very first bottom horizontal boards need replacing. What are they? 2x4s or what? The dust that is the old wood looks like 2 2x4s stacked? The plywood and verticle boards look ok and the outside is vinyl siding. TMI (sorry) ... what is the very bottom first horizontal supposed to be? Thanks!

[@KyleMerl]

If you're talking about the the bottom of a wall, it is called a sill plate. it can be several 2x4s stacked on top of each other. if its a load bearing wall you'll need to support the load above it to replace it.

[@jwisener100]

@@KyleMerl how do you do that? Support the load above? Did you have another video explaining this?

[@KyleMerl]

@@jwisener100 you need to build a temporary wall or use some other technique to support the load while you repair the damage. I do have a video about it on my channel, but you need to make sure you understand how to support the load in your specific situation. What worked for me might not necessarily work for you.

[@jwisener100]

@@KyleMerl do you have a link to video? I couldn’t find it.

[@KyleMerl]

@@jwisener100 kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGLIaoSMiNihpKM

[@bg147]

Did you consider sistering 2 x 4s to the damaged wood? You might be similar to me and wanted the bad wood out.

[@KyleMerl]

Yea I wanted to remove the old stuff to prevent a reinfestation in the future

[@bluev3nom]

Prob not wise long term with rotted wood. Don't want new 2x4 to have mold problems.

[@TatiaMgow]

I was afraid to remove the rotted wood stud beneath my window because I thought the whole window would collapse, but I see that yours did not.

[@KyleMerl]

Yea usually windows are secured to the studs on either side of the window.

[@janetshelton8948]

Could you help me install a niche in my bathroom wall?

[@KyleMerl]

actually April Wilkerson recently posted a pretty good video on how to do that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/onK6YaCrZqZ5m6c

[@Channelslayer33]

What kind of saw were you using?

[@KyleMerl]

Reciprocating saw. Also known as a sawzall.

[@edouardg.l931]

i have to repair a similar section of my exterior wall due to water damage.....judging by this video i assume i dont need to create support beffore removing/replacing the studs ??

[@KyleMerl]

If it is load bearing then yes, you must support it. The wall I repaired here is not load bearing

[@Gesink68]

so no brick ties anchoring into the studs ?

[@KyleMerl]

Im sure there were but it's not like they were doing much with these studs! The bricks are still in place despite having foundation work done so im not too worried about it right now.

[@walden6272]

Where's the next video on this project?

[@KyleMerl]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGLIaoSMiNihpKM

[@barryaugustine1298]

Spiders web can help repel termites a lil at least

[@jacktwelkins]

Is this a mobile home ?

[@KyleMerl]

Lol no. Feels like it sometimes though

[@nystagmus]

I have subterranean termite damage The furring strips are eaten Ate my wood ceiling beam I tore down one room : ceiling and plaster walls

[@KyleMerl]

They're destructive lil buggers, aren't they? I hope the repairs all go smoothly for you

[@buckteamer2591]

Spray foam could have helped also

[@lorriswafford5613]

Can you give me a type of this to use and where you would use? My mom has some termite damage in a sheet, I need to get it fixed asap and as economical as possible.

[@spuriousnews1466]

Make sure to wear safety glasses!

[@metro8974]

Wouldn't be better just put new studs and plywood up USB board and then put in vinyl

[@KyleMerl]

Exterior is brick so no, not in my case

[@MelodicMizeryPs3Vids]

i bought a house that had termite damage 40 years ago but alot was still left. since the house is 140 yrs old i thought some of the new beams i saw was a good effort on previous owners just reenforcing areas. i now know that they prob had to replace the original because of termite damage and thats the reason why. because they didnt fix everything. one thing to do is wear a mask when chipping that wood out. you dont want that old crumbly wood dust in your lungs. i had a loose board outside my carriage house it was acting as a mini small roof over a old door for rain just so rain wouldnt drip on the door from upper wall. it was very loose so i pulled on it and it broke off. all termite damage half way through the thick beam behind it. i put a layer of wood putty on it best as i could after trying to chisel the rotten stuff out best i could. put a new board on top of it. caulked the edges and some of behind the board. then drilled a few screws into the board sideways to catch some of the wood. but now i found silverfish so fml

[@KyleMerl]

Yea that's a good point about a mask... the thought of breathing in termite poop is kinda gross. Termite damage is a pain in the ass, especially when they start getting into headers. Good luck if ur still dealing with it. I also discovered that I probably need to replace the whole front wall of my living room. Good times...

[@williamheiden5240]

Get a Fein tool. Your life would be much easier with this job.

[@KyleMerl]

I grabbed a Ridgid Multitool which helped a lot for the 2nd half of this job, which I'm actually in the process of editing the video for.