ABBEY
PRESERVATION

Dry rot fungus (Serpula lacrymans) is a serious problem which threatens the timber structure of a property.

The fungus spores land and germinate on damp timber, often in dark inaccessible areas, growing rapidly wherever there is the combination of timber and moisture to support it. The reason why this fungus is so serious is that the strands produced can transport nutrients from the main body of the fungus, the mycelium, to the growing tips allowing the fungus to spread through inert, dry materials such as brick and stone until more damp timber is found.

The reputation for the destructive nature of this fungus is founded upon the fact that it prefers to keep itself hidden from our view until it has grown large enough to produce a fruiting body, rather like a fleshy plate of orange filaments which disperse millions of spores. By this time a great deal of damage will have already been done, leaving the wood stained a dark brown colour with cracks running with and against the grain forming a cubed texture of very light "dry" crumbling wood.

However, it is important to remember that all these fungi require wood AND moisture to survive. The strands will not penetrate dry timber to any great extent and the spores will not germinate unless the wood is wet. Thus several lines of attack are needed to defeat the fungus. The origins of the dampness must be tackled as without moisture the fungus cannot survive in the long term. As the dormant fungus can survive for up to ten years in damp masonry this action must be thorough and continual. The fungus itself will be treated with a fungicide. Some timbers may have to be replaced with pretreated ones and others treated in-situ with a fungicide. Other timbers at risk of attack will also need to be treated with a preservative or lined to create a barrier. The infected masonry can also be treated with a fungicide and contained with a fungicidal rendering or paint system.

Our experts will be able to complete the work to the highest standards preventing the fungus from reinfecting the property.