Woodworm Treatment Cost

How Much Does It Cost To Treat Woodworm?

Woodworms can wreak havoc to your home. They will eat away at wood fixtures, furniture, and pricey wooden beams, which will end up costing far more to replace in the long run.

If however, you properly pinpoint and set up a target-treatment plan, you can rid your home of woodworms in a matter of days. And, if you opt to hire a licensed professional, they can offer you various treatment methods to target the problem.

Woodworms can lead to other forms of infestation in the home; and, even if it doesn’t, these small animals can cause quite a bit of damage to wooden furniture and fixtures, and end up costing you thousands in treatment costs.

So, let’s take a look at the general costs and the reasons why it is best to hire a professional at first sight of infestation, rather than attempt to rid the infestation problem yourself.

The average cost of treating woodworm will vary depending on the type of treatment required. For instance, a simple boron treatment normally costs from £15 to £42, while a fumigation or fogging treatment is typically priced anywhere from £500 to £1,000.

You may also need to pay an additional charge for an inspection with a woodworm survey cost starting from £80 up to £250.

These costs will vary depending on the extent of the damage and the size of the space, as well as the type of woodworm as some are harder to get rid of than others.

It's best to tackle this issue as early as possible. Don’t wait until it spreads — getting a survey and quote early usually works out much cheaper than delaying.

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Woodworm Treatment Price List (2025)

To help you understand the cost of woodworm treatment, here is a woodworm treatment price breakdown of the different treatment types for different-sized spaces.

Boron Treatment Cost

Woodworm Survey Cost

Woodworm Fumigation Cost

Supply Costs

If you would prefer to save on labour costs with a DIY woodworm treatment, you'll need to consider the following supply costs:

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Additional Woodworm Treatment Costs

Repairing Replacing Joists & Floorboards

If the woodworm has affected the condition of your joists or floorboards, then you'll need to ask a carpenter to take a look at them.

Most floorboard repair and replacement jobs cost between £200 and £800. In this case though, you should expect quotes to sit towards the higher end of this range.

Restoring Wooden Flooring

After solving your woodworm issue, you may need to consider hiring a professional to restore your wooden floor to its former glory.

Wooden floor restoration costs vary depending on what exactly is required.

For instance:

• Staining a wooden floor doesn't typically cost more than £6 per square metre
• Floor sanding and refinishing typically costs around £25 per square metre.

If you have had your stairs treated with a woodworm solution, then you may also need to pay for stair sanding. If you hire a tradesperson for this job, it'll typically cost £35 per square metre.

Rising Damp Treatment

Woodworms typically form in damp areas. So once the woodworm treatment has been completed, it's recommended to deal with the source of the issue. This may involve hiring a professional to treat rising damp.

Costs range widely depending on the extent of the problem. You should expect quotes to be between £500 and £2,000 to inject a damp proof course into one wall and up to £900 to £4,750 if you need to treat all the walls of your home.

You may also want to install a damp proof membrane, which typically costs around £125 per square metre.

Labour Costs and Timescales

The labour cost for hiring a professional to treat your woodworm issue will vary depending on the extent of the damage and what the job involves. For an initial woodworm survey, you should expect to pay anywhere from £100 to £250 per hour.

The overall labour cost will vary depending on the size of the home, as a small terraced property may only take one hour to survey while a large detached home could take up to four hours.

Tradesmen’s costs also vary depending on the treatment required, with most professionals charging around £30 for an average of 25 square metres which can take anywhere from one hour to two days.

In comparison, more extensive jobs such as fogging or fumigation cost anywhere from £500 to £1000 for a one to three-day job.

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Factors Affecting Woodworm Infestation Treatment Costs

To help you determine the price for woodworm treatment, think about the following cost factors:

• Where you live — Woodworm is incredibly common in the South, especially Surrey. In London and the South East, you'll pay about 10–20% more than anywhere else.
• Access — Treating lofts and roof beams costs more than ground-floor rooms. If you need full woodworm fumigation, you may have to move out for a few days. Some companies cover hotel costs, some don’t.
• Type of woodworm — A common furniture beetle is cheaper to deal with. Tougher pests like house longhorn often need full woodworm treatment with fumigation, which costs a bit more.
• Treatment type — A basic woodworm survey cost is between £80–£250. Boron sprays or gels are cheaper at £15–£42. Fumigation is the expensive one at £500–£1,000+, but it is only used in bad cases.
• Damage — If the beetles have spread, you may also need repairs to joists or floors. In the worst cases, with damp or rot, bills can run to £4,750 or more.
• Guarantees — Some firms give 10–30-year guarantees. Longer cover and call-backs usually mean higher prices.

What's Involved in Woodworm Treatment?

To help you understand the process of a professional woodworm treatment, take a look at the following step by step guide.

The first step involves conducting a woodworm survey to determine the type of woodworm and which treatment is required. They will also investigate whether the infestation is active while examining the extent of the damage.

Each woodworm treatment involves various processes, including:

Boron Treatment

Most professionals will apply a Boron paste to the infestation area, which will involve drilling holes into the timber of around 10mm in diameter. They will then fit an extension tube before injecting the Boron paste into the holes to make sure they are completely full. Once all the holes are filled, they will then place a timber dowel on each hole to cap off the entry.

Once the paste has dried completely, a boron-based gel will then be applied to the affected surface, making sure that there is at least 300mm of gel around the attacked area.

Fumigation Treatment

If you have a severe infestation, then a professional may advise that you move out of your home to allow them to fumigate the infested area. The reason for this is because fumigants can be harmful, so anyone who is not qualified to deal with these chemicals should be located away from the area.

Once the property is clear and the home is sealed off, the professional fumigator will then spread pesticides around the house to kill off the woodworm infestation in your home.

You will then be required to wait at least six hours or up to one week before it is safe to move back into your home. A lot of companies offer accommodation rates within their price.

Fogging Treatment

If moving out of your home for longer than a day is not possible then you may want to hire pest control experts to exterminate your woodworm issue with a fogging treatment.

Fogging treatments involve the use of a fog machine which spreads hydrogen peroxide and silver ion around the space in the form of a fogging solution. This will require you to stay out of your home for around two to four hours, as the process can be harmful, although not as hazardous as fumigation.

Can I Treat Woodworm Myself?

While you might be tempted to tackle woodworm on your own, we’d strongly advise against this. Using the wrong spray or too much chemical is bad news, as it can do a lot of harm to your timber and still leave the beetles behind. If that happens? The issue returns, and at a pricier cost to put right.

Some jobs, like woodworm fumigation, can only be done by licensed teams. Why? Because they use gases that aren’t safe to handle. Even the simpler gels and sprays work best when they’re applied the right way. A professional will know which beetle it is and exactly how to treat it. They also know how bad the spread is, and the treatment that actually works.

A decent woodworm survey tells you if the infestation is active and what needs to be done. Yes, there’s a cost for that, but it saves wasting money on the wrong fix. From there, the specialist can suggest anything from a basic boron spray to fumigation if things are more serious.

DIY is risky. A job carried out by a professional is safer, swifter and mostly comes with a guarantee. If you’ve noticed holes or dust in your timber, don’t chance it. Get a survey and a quote from a woodworm treatment expert.

Building Regulations & Planning Permission for Woodworm Treatment

Typically, you do not need to apply for planning permission or building regulations consent for woodworm treatment. However, if you own a listed or protected building, you may want to check with your local authority first.

This will come at a price, so you should check with your local government, as the cost varies for different regions.

If your woodworm infestation causes significant damage, then you may have to obtain consent before making repairing or replacing anything. For instance, if you have any damp on your roof or notice any rotted joists, you may need to apply for building regulations approval.

This is especially important if you are making any structural alterations and plan to replace or fix more than 25 per cent of the roof.

Types of Woodworm

There are various types of woodworm which require different types of treatments, so to help you make the right decision, take a look at the below woodworm guide.

Common Furniture Beetle

• How to spot? Tiny, light brown beetles. Look out for fine sandy dust and pin-sized holes (about 2mm wide) in your wood.
• Where does it spread? In old furniture but, if left, can effortlessly move into floorboards, joists and even walls.
• Why is it a pain? It won’t obliterate everything overnight, but untreated it can spread far and weaken timber over time.
• How to fix it? A boron spray or brush-on treatment is a good bet, plus, it’s a little cheaper.

House Longhorn Beetle

The House longhorn beetle is a large insect which can be identified by its dark brown colouring, white hairs and long antennae. As it is larger than other woodworm species, they tend to create large 10mm diameter holes which tend to break the surface of wooden fixtures.

This type of woodworm prefers young softwoods, and they fly from space to space finding fresh wood to lay their eggs while filling the holes with their frass.

House longhorn beetles are a lot harder to remove than other woodworm types, so you may need to hire a professional to perform fumigation or fogging treatment.

Powderpost Beetle

Powderpost beetles are a type of wood-boring insect which have a slender appearance with red or black colouring. The larvae they produce is typically white or cream and can be recognised by its c-shape.

This type of woodworm is typically attracted to hardwoods with wide pores such as ash, walnut and sycamore. They bore holes into furniture and other wood fixtures and emerge from holes that measure 1 to 2mm – leaving white powder in their trail.

To get rid of powderpost beetles, you may want to hire someone to apply a boron treatment to the surface along with furniture removal to get rid of any infested or rotted wood.

Deathwatch Beetle

Deathwatch beetles have a bee-like and furry appearance with its dark and light brown colouring. They can also be identified by their distinctive clock-like ticking, which they use to attract mates.

This woodworm species is normally attracted to hardwoods such as elm and oak which they rot away to create a white-rot effect. They also create borehole tunnels that measure around 2mm in width, which are typically packed full of frass, so you will notice the problem immediately.

To get rid of deathwatch beetles, professionals tend to use an injection method with chemicals such as boron or permethrin to extinguish the infestation.

Types of Woodworm Treatment Costs

Woodworms might seem easy to remove/fumigate from your home. However, the wrong treatment method can do far more harm than good. Further, if you don’t use the right chemical compounds, treatment solutions, and don’t go in the proper order when treating the woodworms, further infestation can occur down the road.

So to help you avoid any of these issues, take a look at some of the best woodworm treatments.

Boron Treatment Cost

Boron is a mineral that is typically found in the environment as well as many woodworm-removing chemicals which are generally water-based. For a boron powder, you should expect to pay around £18 to £20 per kg, while a boron paste costs £13 to £15 per tube.

Boron treatments are typically applied or injected into wood surfaces to eradicate most woodworm species safely. This type of treatment is a great choice for small infestation issues as it features ultra-low toxicity and therefore only kills wood-boring insects, not spiders, birds or bats.

They also leave no smell; you don’t have to worry about a lingering odour in your home.

If applying boron treatment as a DIY project, you need to be careful about using too much boron, especially if you are pregnant or have children as it can cause you to feel sick or have headaches when exposed to large quantities.

Fumigation Cost

Professional woodworm fumigation involves evacuating and sealing a property to spray gas around the home. This is not advised for DIY use, as only expert fumigators can conduct this type of treatment.

The main benefit of fumigation is that the fumes will reach every part of your home to eradicate a woodworm infestation which may have spread. This will also remove any other unwanted pests which may not have been picked up on, making your home a safer and more protected environment.

The issue with fumigation is that you will have to leave the home for several days, to prevent breathing conditions or possible respiratory problems later down the road.

Fogging Cost

A woodworm fogging treatment usually involves a fogger machine which distributes chemicals under floorboards or throughout wooden fixtures to exterminate the woodworm infestation. You can hire a professional to do this or purchase your own kit which typically costs around £220.

One of the best advantages of choosing a fogging treatment is that it can be carried out in an open environment, unlike fumigation, which must be done in a sealed area. This means it is a low-risk treatment which does not have adverse health risks, so you can go back to your house in around 2 to 4 hours.

Fogging may not be the best option if the infestation is widespread, as unlike fumigation, it does not reach every corner of your home as it does in an open space.

How to Spot Woodworm?

There are several tell-tale signs that you have a woodworm infestation, the first being the boring holes which are usually around 2mm, although the size will depend on the extent of the infestation. You may also notice tunnels that reach 10mm in diameter; however, this will depend on the type of woodworm you are dealing with.

Other common signs include bore dust as well as disintegrating or rotting wood in roof joists or floorboards which will need to be replaced after a treatment is applied. You may also be able to see some beetles which could be dead or alive.

Hiring Contractors for Woodworm Treatment Checklist

Before hiring a professional woodworm specialist, you should take a look at the following checklist:

• Choose a specialist who knows the methods: boron, water-based, fumigation equipment, chemical agents, and other treatment options.
• If you require a fumigation treatment, you should check that the tradesperson holds an RSPH Level 3 Safe Use of Fumigants for the Management of Invertebrate Pests Units 1 or a BPCA Fumigation Diploma and relevant BPCA module certificate for the areas you intend to fumigate.
• Make sure they have at least five years’ experience treating woodworm and are familiar with all forms of infestation (house longhorn beetle, furniture beetle, etc.).
• Check that they have public liability insurance and employer’s liability insurance to protect you against any incidents during the treatment.