How to determine what's causing damage to hardwood floors?

[thealfa]

I hope it's not termites. Outside the house there was what looked like tiny termite mounds but it was treated by liquid to kill termites (not by a termite professional). However I do not see termites outdoors or indoors. There's more wasps coming into the basement during summer time yet I can't find any holes or cracks in the basement.

I've attached some pictures. Is there a way to tell if termites are what's causing damages I see on these hardwood floors? Small area of the hardwood floors would squeak, so are nails getting looser or the hardwood floors are just getting older?

 

[PJB12]

If the wood isn't soft and soaked, I'd not worry about insects. They probably don't want the dry and varnished wood. (And there maybe tar paper under the finished wood. They sure don't want that.)

The evenly spaced holes look like someone nailed from the faces of the boards, probably trying to stop squeaks. They sure don't look like bug holes.

The gap in the 3rd photo is normal for an older floor, especially in heating season when the indoor humidity can be very low. In summer, the gap will probably be narrower, or even gone. The room in the center of my house, where all other rooms meet, has gaps the entire length of the floor every 5 boards. The gaps leave completely in summer. (A Sears kit home, so the boards probably came in 5 wide from the factory.)

The floor squeaking is common, also especially in winter when the humidity is low inside. The squeaking is often from boards riding up and down on the nails. (The nails commonly are angled in the tongues and are hidden from view.)

Sometimes the squeak is the floor moving on the sub floor or the tongues moving the the grooves. Sweeping talc in the gaps is a temporary fix that may or may not work.

You can, if it drives you crazy, screw up from the bottom to try to pull the boards down tightly. Made are screws that break off with a special tool flush with the surface of the floor. But, if you use them, you can never sand the floor again.

And, I'd not do this fastening in heating season. If you hold the boards fast in the "shrunk" position, in summer they will swell and cup up or split.

Remember This- Squeaks Add Charm!

Paul

 

[havasu]

I wouldn't rule out termites yet. The first picture looked similar to my sister's house in Hawaii, which was being destroyed by termites.
Personally, I'd get a professional to look under the house for termite tubes or other insect infestation first.

 

[PJB12]

I wouldn't rule out termites yet. The first picture looked similar to my sister's house in Hawaii, which was being destroyed by termites.
Personally, I'd get a professional to look under the house for termite tubes or other insect infestation first.

Thanks for posting that. I didn't phrase too well my reply. I was commenting on the neat rows of holes and should have clarified. The neatly arranged & spaced rows of holes in Photo 1 was what me think it was not insects, rather it was someone nailing the floor back down through the face.

But, like Havasu said, termites (or carpenter ants) should be ruled out by a pro in person. The pro can also address the wasp entry problem.

Paul

Although...
Termites could be smarter than I think they are and went to the local Bug Depot to pick up a tape measure & try-square so they could neatly space the holes in their new subdivision.

 

[havasu]

I discounted the horizontal nail holes, and instead looked at the vertical indentation wood collapse. That is similar to what termites do. They eat from the inside out, collapsing the outer shell. I'm guessing the varnish doesn't taste too well for them?

 

[thealfa]

I wouldn't rule out termites yet. The first picture looked similar to my sister's house in Hawaii, which was being destroyed by termites.
Personally, I'd get a professional to look under the house for termite tubes or other insect infestation first.

Regarding the first 2 pictures; below it is the basement bedroom where the ceiling partially collapsed. Outside the basement bedroom's windows (outdoors) are possibly termite mounds. I'll post pics later.

 

[thealfa]

Out of curiosity, is there a federal program where one can get funds to repair an aging home? Wasn't there some incentives before to repair a house during the pandemic?

This is my mom's house by the way. She's retired now.

 

[havasu]

Our city has an historic home registry. You get reduced taxes, but all improvements must be era correct, down to the paint.

 

[thealfa]

Below are some pics of what I think are termite mounds, right on the outside of the window frames of the basement bedroom where the ceiling partially collapsed.