Glasgow · Greater Glasgow · Scotland
Woodworm Treatment in Glasgow
Specialist treatment for the structural timber inside Glasgow's sandstone tenements and period flats. Free surveys, honest advice and a 30-year guarantee on every job.
- Free survey from a qualified, local surveyor
- Tenement floors, joist ends and common roof voids
- Fixed written quote and a 30-year guarantee
Get your free quote
Tell us what you've noticed and where. A local woodworm surveyor will call you back to arrange a free, no-obligation survey.
Woodworm in Glasgow
Tenement timber is built for beetles to hide in
Glasgow's iconic red and blond sandstone tenements are built around heavy structural timber: timber floors, joist ends bedded into damp masonry, and expansive common roof spaces. Damp joist ends and poorly ventilated closes make tenement timber especially vulnerable to active woodworm.
Walk into almost any flat from the West End to Shawlands and the structure is the same: timber floors carried on joists, the ends of those joists pushed into solid sandstone, and a single large roof void shared across the whole close. It is a sound way to build a tenement — but it gives the common furniture beetle a continuous run of sapwood-rich softwood to work through, often unnoticed for years.
The problem is rarely the beetle alone. Glasgow's weather keeps masonry damp, and where a joist end sits in wet stone the timber moisture climbs to the point woodworm needs. Treat the beetle without fixing that damp and the infestation simply returns. That is why every survey we carry out checks the timber and the conditions around it — so the treatment actually holds.
Spot it early
Signs of woodworm in a Glasgow flat
Caught early, woodworm in tenement timber is straightforward to treat. These are the four signs worth checking, especially before a sale or after taking on an older flat.
Round 1–2mm exit holes
Crisp, pale-edged holes in floorboards, skirtings and joist faces — the calling card of the common furniture beetle, the cause of around three quarters of Scottish woodworm cases.
Bore dust (frass) on closes and floors
Fine, gritty powder beneath timber and on the stone steps of common closes. Fresh, pale frass that keeps reappearing points to an active infestation rather than an old one.
Soft, crumbling joist ends
Where joist ends are bedded into damp sandstone, the timber can feel spongy or crumble at the edge — a classic tenement failure that needs checking from below.
Beetles at the windows in summer
Small reddish-brown beetles on sills and in cobwebs between May and August, when adults emerge to mate and lay eggs in nearby timber.
How we treat it
The right method for structural tenement timber
Glasgow's heavy floor and roof timbers often need more than a surface spray. We match the method to the timber and the severity of the damage.
Water-based insecticidal spray
The standard professional treatment for active common furniture beetle in accessible joists, floorboards and roof rafters. Low odour, touch-dry within hours, and the flat is usually back in normal use the same day.
About spray treatment →Boron gel and paste for joist ends
Deep-penetrating boron paste is ideal for the damp joist ends buried in tenement masonry, where spray cannot reach the core of the timber. It treats the structural heart of the joist and keeps working over time.
About boron & paste →Structural timber repair
Where beetle damage has gone structural — a failed joist end or a weakened bressummer — we splice, resin-repair or replace the affected section so the floor or roof is sound, then treat the surrounding timber.
About timber repair →Dealing with the damp first
Active tenement woodworm usually has a damp cause. We diagnose and put right the moisture problem — leaking gutters, bridged ground levels, poor close ventilation — so the timber dries and beetles lose their conditions.
Dry rot & damp treatment →Treating roof timbers in a tenement loft? Bats are legally protected. If there is any sign of bats in a common roof void, the law requires a check before timber treatment goes ahead. See GOV.UK guidance on bats and the law — our surveyors advise on this as part of the survey.
Where we find it
Woodworm in Glasgow's building types
Different parts of the tenement fail in different ways. Knowing where to look is half the job, and it is where a tenement survey earns its keep.
Sandstone tenement flats
The classic Glasgow case. Floor joists run wall to wall, with their ends bedded into the sandstone — and that is where the trouble starts. Stone holds moisture, the buried joist end stays damp, and the common furniture beetle moves in where you cannot see it. From above, the floor looks fine; from the flat below, you may notice a slight dip, a soft patch near the wall or fine frass dropping through. We inspect joist ends from the ceiling void wherever access allows.
Common closes and shared roof voids
A tenement's roof is one continuous timber structure spanning every flat in the block, and woodworm rarely respects the boundaries between owners. The close stair, its timber treads and the landings are shared too. Because treating shared structure affects neighbours, we provide a clear written report you can take to your factor or residents' group, and we coordinate access so the work runs smoothly.
Main-door flats, conversions and Victorian villas
Beyond the four-in-a-block tenements, Glasgow has main-door flats, subdivided Victorian villas in the West End and Pollokshields, and former commercial buildings turned into homes. These hold suspended timber ground floors and cellar timber that sit close to damp ground — prime sites for active woodworm and, in wetter timber, the wood-boring weevil that signals an underlying damp problem.
Why Glasgow homeowners choose us
Specialists in period and tenement timber
We work to recognised industry standards and treat your flat, and your neighbours' shared structure, with care.
Get a free quote-
Free, honest survey
We tell you plainly whether the woodworm is active or historic — and if no treatment is needed, we say so.
-
30-year guarantee
A written treatment certificate and a 30-year guarantee — useful for factors, mortgage surveys and a future sale.
-
Correct species ID
We identify the exact beetle before quoting, so you pay for the treatment your timber actually needs — no more.
-
Recognised standards
We follow Property Care Association standards for timber treatment and damp diagnosis.
Woodworm treatment in Glasgow — FAQs
Why is woodworm so common in Glasgow tenements?
Do you treat shared close and common roof timbers?
Is the survey really free, and what does it cover?
How much does woodworm treatment cost in Glasgow?
Service area
Woodworm treatment in Glasgow & surrounding areas
Our local surveyors cover Glasgow and the wider Greater Glasgow — call us or book online and we will confirm availability for your postcode.
Helpful next steps
Book a free woodworm survey
A qualified surveyor confirms whether your infestation is active and scopes the treatment.
Learn more →Woodworm treatment cost guide
What treatment costs by room, roof and whole flat — with no hidden extras.
Learn more →Common furniture beetle
The species behind most Glasgow tenement infestations, identified and explained.
Learn more →Woodworm treatment in Birmingham
Birmingham's mix of Victorian back-to-backs and interwar semis means a lot of original softwood floor joists and roof timbers still in service.
Learn more →Woodworm treatment in Bristol
Bristol's Georgian and Victorian terraces, plus harbourside humidity, create ideal conditions for wood-boring beetles.
Learn more →Areas we cover
Find your nearest woodworm surveyor across Scotland, England and Wales.
Learn more →Woodworm in your Glasgow flat? Let's deal with it.
Book a free survey across Glasgow and the West of Scotland. Fixed written quote, qualified surveyors and a 30-year guarantee on treated timber.
Request your free survey
Two details to get started.