Woodworm: part 2

We hope you enjoyed our earlier post on woodworm in musical instruments. In this post, we look at a case of woodworm a little closer to home, in fact literally IN the home of Multiskill’s Phil Slater.

Phil recently bought an antique school desk for the bedroom of one of his children. It was covered in layers and layers of old varnish, which once sanded off, revealed the telltale signs of woodworm infestation.

Woodworm in second-hand or antique furniture is common. It is very likely that, at some point in its life, an old piece of furniture will have been exposed to damage by woodworm. As pieces get older and are passed from owner to owner and house to house, or spend time in storage, you would anticipate their exposure to wood-boring insects.

Antique furniture is also unlikely to have been treated with wood preservative during manufacturing, so it won’t be protected against wood-boring insects. Softwood furniture is especially prone to attack, as woodworm find soft woods like cedar, spruce and pine particularly attractive.

Hardwoods are also susceptible to infestation, especially beech, birch and cherry. Solid mahogany is less likely to suffer, unless it is in fact a veneer laid over cheaper wood. However, in the final analysis, woodworm really aren’t that fussy, and will happily attack hardwoods like oak. The main preference is that the wood be damp, as this makes it easier to chew!

If you’re considering the purchase of antique furniture, the most important thing to do is check whether any woodworm infestation is active.

You may see tiny holes, indicating were the woodworm have been nibbling through the wood. To determine whether the infestation is still active, tap the furniture to see if a pale sawdust, called frass, falls out. This ‘frass’ is actually woodworm droppings, and is a sure sign that your furniture has a live infestation! You may also see adult beetles emerging from the holes – step away from that desk or table and do not under any circumstances bring it into your home!

Historic woodworm damage in an antique coffer restored by oldenglishantiques.co.uk

If you are satisfied that the infestation is not active, your only concern is whether any historic damage affects either the price being asked or the piece’s resale value. Woodworm can cause crumbling and structural problems as well as more obvious damage. You may see signs of wood filler where previous damage has been disguised.

In the case of Phil’s desk, the historic case of woodworm which was only discovered during refurbishment was not a problem, as the desk was not an antique and not worth a great deal of money. However, if you’re considering the purchase of furniture of value, you should always be on your guard for signs of woodworm infestation or damage!