how to prevent termite attack
Outdoor Care and Decor

Wood Furniture: Tips to Prevent Termites

Beautiful wooden furniture is quite easy to maintain. Keep it away from moisture, wipe down with a soft cloth and clean with your furniture maker’s approved cleaning solution or water, and you can keep your furniture looking great for years on end. But it’s also important to make sure that you are protecting from pests such as termites, which can cause significant damage to the material if you are not careful. How? Read on to find out the tips and tricks to keep your wooden furniture looking beautiful and safe from termites.

What to put on wood to prevent termites?

When it comes to protecting wood from termites, you can use a preventative borate treatment. Borate is a water-soluble chemical that helps to prevent termite infestations from occurring. When applied, it diffuses into the wood and creates a barrier that prevents termites from burrowing into the material as this is poison to termites when they eat the treated wood. Once applied, there must be a finish used in order to seal in the borate and keep the wood protected.

Aside from this, orange oil or neem oil can be used to protect the wood. Orange oil has a compound that easily kills termites upon contact, and this compound is called d-limonene. Neem oil protects the wood by poisoning termites upon consumption. These oils need to be sprayed over affected areas to keep termites from attacking your wooden pieces.

How do you treat termites in furniture?

Think you’ve got termites? If you’ve got the telltale holes in your woodwork, it might be a good idea to inspect this further. Termites thrive in dark, moisture-laden areas, so one of the first steps should be to put your affected wooden furniture out in the sun for at least 2-3 days to drive away termites and dry out the wood, preventing future infestations.

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In the same way preventative borate treatments can work wonderfully to prevent termites from the beginning, using another form of it called boric acid. Simply make a solution of borax powder mixed with water, and put it in a spray bottle for easy application on affected areas. This will drive away termites as well as being non-toxic, and is a pretty simple solution that gives off great results.

And, if all else fails and these methods don’t achieve the desired effect, you can always call a professional to deal with your termite infestation, too.

How do you keep termites from coming back?

Prevention is the most important thing to note when it comes to termites. Ensure that your wooden furniture like your marri tables are not in contact with any moisture, make use of aloe vera gel as a protective coating on your furniture regularly. Wood polish is great for keeping termites away and keeping your wooden furniture fresh, and consider getting professional chemical treatments ever so often if you live near large water sources or the coast.

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