What Do I Do If Dry Rot Damaged My Floor Joists?

Assessing The Damage 

The first thing you should do when you realize that there’s decaying wood in your crawl space is get in contact with your local foundation repair company. This is because the foundation needs a thorough look over before anything can be decided. Foundation experts will be able to tell if the wood in your crawl space needs to be replaced or if it can be repaired. Being able to tell is important since replacing tends to be a lot more expensive than repairing. 

If the wood can be repaired, then the mold will be cleared from the wood. Because dry rot is so difficult to kill, experts will have to use extremely strong fungal-removing chemicals. The wood will be coated with a special epoxy or wood preserver to fill in the damaged parts and give the structure some strength. If the joists need to be supported, then support jacks will be installed, and the floor will be evened out. 

IntelliJack™ Crawl Space Support Jacks 

IntelliJack™ is a support jack that is meant to stabilize failing floor joists and aid them in supporting the floor. IntelliJack™ is made of solid, galvanized steel, meaning that it will not succumb to corrosion. To install IntelliJack™, foundation experts will mark where each support jack needs to go. Then, they excavate a hole where the jack will be installed, engineering fill is poured down the holes, and the support jack is put into place. 

The advantages of having IntelliJack™ support your home is that it does not get infested with dry rot. However, once the support jacks are installed, the job should not be considered finished. IntelliJack™ can stabilize your foundation, but it cannot stop water and humidity from entering your crawl space and wreaking havoc all over again. To truly keep your foundation stable for years to come, you need a proper waterproofing solution in place.