Timber treatment & preservation

Timber treatment and preservation

Nightshift has been protecting some of England's most historic and important properties for over forty years. Historic monuments, thousand-year-old churches and Elizabethan country houses across southern England.

Arrange a survey Report a problem

Timber work is a survey discipline before it is a treatment one. Woodworm, wood-boring insects, rot and damp are usually symptoms of something structural, and treating the beetle while leaving the moisture that invited it guarantees the problem returns. Our first thought on any project is how to preserve the building with minimal environmental impact.

How the programme runs

Survey first, always. We establish whether the infestation is active, identify the species responsible and assess the associated damp before anything is specified, and we will say plainly when a proposed treatment is not right for the building.

Ancient oak roof beams in an English historic hall

Why it works

What this method actually does.

Woodworm and wood-boring insects

Common furniture beetle, deathwatch beetle, house longhorn and wood-boring weevil all attack structural and decorative timber. Identifying which is present decides the treatment, because they do not all behave the same way or respond to the same specification.

Twenty-year warranties issued

Qualifying timber treatment work is covered by a twenty-year warranty. For a purchaser, a lender or a trustee board, that is the document that makes the survey worth commissioning.

A chemical-free option exists

Where a building is listed, houses a collection, or simply cannot take a chemical application, biological woodworm control using the parasitoid wasp Spathius exarator treats the infestation inside the timber without spraying anything or cutting out fabric.

Damp is usually the real story

Rot and insect attack follow moisture. Our team is experienced in installing damp course systems and advising on structural dampness, so the cause is addressed rather than the symptom treated twice.

Where it is used

Sites that suit it.

Roof structures, purlins, rafters and wall plates

Floor joists, boards and sub-floor voids

Panelling, joinery and staircases

Church roofs, bell frames and historic monuments

Cellars, undercrofts and basement timbers

Window frames, lintels and embedded timber ends

Loft spaces and concealed structural timber

Compliance & evidence

Work is surveyed and specified by qualified surveyors and issued as a written report, in a form your architect, conservation officer, lender or insurer can act on. Prior-purchase Home Buyers Survey reports for woodworm, rot and damp are available for purchasers. Qualifying work carries a twenty-year warranty.

Certificates published, not promised

BPCA member M15/1628, CEPA certified to EN 16636, CHAS, SafeContractor and Constructionline, with numbers and expiry dates on our procurement page.

Common questions

Timber treatment & preservation, answered.

The questions facilities and operations teams raise most, answered plainly.

Anything else?

Report a problem any hour and we will come back to you.

Report a problem

How do you know whether woodworm is still active?

Flight holes alone prove nothing; they can be decades old. Activity is judged on fresh frass, hole condition, timber moisture content and the species involved, which is why the survey comes before any quote.

Do you offer treatment without chemicals?

Yes. Biological control using the parasitoid wasp Spathius exarator targets the larvae of the common furniture beetle inside the timber. Nothing is sprayed and no fabric is cut out, which suits listed buildings, churches and collection environments.

What does the twenty-year warranty cover?

Qualifying timber treatment work is issued with a twenty-year warranty. The scope is set out in the written specification, so you hold the document rather than a verbal assurance.

Can you survey a property before purchase?

Yes. We provide specialist prior-purchase reports for woodworm, rot and damp, which is often the difference between negotiating a price and inheriting a problem.