Walls and Ceilings - Termite damage to plaster

I was stripping ancient wallpaper from over my front door frame, in preparation to paint. Plaster started flaking off in chunks, leaving behind exposed termite tubes and droppings.

The seller's disclosure mentioned termite treatment near the front door in the early 1960's, so the discovery was not surprising. I am more wondering what I should do to repair the damage.

Should I just pull off the damaged sheetrock (and possibly replace some of the frame)? Or could I try to spackle the damaged areas (there is quite a bit)?

Thanks very much!

You should take off the old sheetrock.
It will make a better patch with likely less work in the long run
It will give you a chance to check for further internal damage and correct it.
It will gove you the opportunity to upgrade any wirein in the neighbor hood if needed.
And it will let you upgrade the insulation and air seal in that area.

Thanks, Tightcoat.

I think I will take off the old sheetrock. However, I'm afraid at what I'll find under there! :eek:

Looking at the studs under the sheetrock that may have termite damage (non-active infestation), what criteria do you use to decide whether or not to replace the stud?

I am plasterer. I think someone else here is more qualified than I to tell you about the structure. Also there might be a different baord here where more qualified people can be asked.

mpbro,

I'm not an expert, but if it is any more than surface damage, I would replace the stud, particularly if it is in a load bearing wall. I had to repair a wall with termite damage recently and wherever I could detect a full blown tunnel, I replaced the stud. If the only damage was along the surface, I cleaned it up and left it in the wall. The termites seemed to have traveled some distance along the surface of the studs in some cases with no more than "tracks" left behind along the surface. I left those studs intact.

Good luck,

Randy,

I pulled off the sheetrock and the molding around the door, and yes, the studs in the area have some pretty good damage. Luckily, no visible damage in the door or frame (might have been replaced).

The damage is right by my front door. For some reason (maybe this is normal), the wall next to the door consists of studs only (like 3 or 4 next to each other), and no airspace. This is near a corner in the wall and next to another door, which might explain why they did this. Should I just place the new studs in the same place as before, or try to use less than they did? I don't want to hurt the structural integrity of the wall...

Hi again,

These studs are important. I can't remember all the terminology, but you're dealing with the typical extra framing around doors. There are king studs, which are basically the outside studs in the assembly, and "trimmers" inside those to support the header.

I'm not sure why you have three studs together, but maybe one of our online experts can explain. It could be because it's an exterior door, probably in a load bearing wall. It could be to accommodate the 16" or 24" centers for drywall nailing, etc....not sure.

However, I would replace all those that are damaged. I actually used pressure treated 2X4's in mine. Let them dry out for a few days before installation if you have that luxury. If they are going to warp, you'll want to know it before you install them.

Sounds like fun,