St. Louis homeowners take pride in these vintage properties. However, lurking beneath all that paint and craftsmanship from decades ago lies an invisible killer, only detected in the dark until it is too late. But with the city providing a humid continental climate and termite colonies laboring in its bygone building materials, ideal conditions are also present.
Termites cause tens of millions of dollars in property damage each year in the state, and St. Louis County has some of the highest infestation rates. If you, however, live in any house built before 1950, and many neighborhoods like Shaw, Soulard, and the Central West End are filled with them, your period wood trim may not be as secure as you might think. A Mascoutah pest control company can catch issues before they become expensive headaches.
Moisture Problems in Historic St. Louis Homes That Elevate Termite Risk
St. Louis is located just next to the banks of the Mississippi River, which brings humidity to the city, but some older homes may not be equipped to handle it. With its warmth and moisture, combined with older building practices, the environment is practically begging termites to come in and set up shop.
And this is why historic St. Louis homes are uniquely susceptible:
- Old drainage systems near foundations that collect water next to wood, particularly found in homes built in the early 1900s, are scattered over much of Lafayette Square and Tower Grove East
- Old plumbing with slow leaks behind a wall, making wood trim moist all the time, without any water stains visible
- If the attic is not adequately ventilated, moisture and condensation can seep down to wooden trim near ceilings and crown molding.
- Basement seepage problems, a byproduct of the clay-rich soil found in the area and common across the St. Louis area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey
- No vapor barriers in crawlspaces; it was not common practice back when many of these residences were built.
How Painted Wood Trim Can Hide Early Termite Damage
Sure, that new paint job could make your baseboards and window casings look immaculate, but it can also be a perfect camouflage for termite activity just below the surface. Once painted, a shell forms that may remain even when termites have eaten out the wood behind it. Perhaps you will tap on plastic trim that sounds hollow or realize it gives way under your touch.
It can be as little as a pinprick or a minor blemish on the paint surface. Termites may have been feeding for months or even years before you see physical damage on painted surfaces. In addition, those vintage St. Louis homes typically have much more complex, multi-layer paint jobs that make detection even more difficult.
When Vintage Trim Damage Suggests a Larger Structural Issue
Occasionally, trim damage that initially seems isolated to one area is a warning of something more serious lurking in your walls or floor joists. Seeing damage in more than one room or on different levels of the home is a sure sign of termites with freeways built into your framework.
Pointe Pest Control, a local company that services the St. Louis area, is often called out to inspect crown molding only to find that the infestation has spread to support beams and wall studs.
Of course, damage to vintage trim in proximity to load-bearing walls indicates we should dig deeper, as those original framing boards are almost assuredly compromised; they are ground. When you notice sagging floors, a door that has always closed but now sticks, or cracks in plaster walls, all with accompanying trim damage, you might suspect the problem threatens to go far deeper than a cosmetic issue, into the structural bones of your historic home.