I don't need advice

Just hugs and sympathy (though cash donations would also be welcome …:wink:)

We open for our season in two weeks’ time and I went down to our apartment yesterday to do the big clean-up (I admit it had been a bit neglected over the Winter) and … it is completely infested by TERMITES!! There is (was!) a lovely wooden floor in the bedroom, storeroom and corridor - thank God the living room and kitchen are tiled! Luckily the Pest Control guy (we now call him the Termite-inator) was able to come straight away, and can do all the ripping up of the floor (sob!) and injecting tomorrow, and the flooring guy can come and lay a new laminate (no more lovely wooden floors for me!) floor next week …

I have nightmares that if I hadn’t detected it because there had been a swarm and the floor was littered with dead beasties, we might have had guests in and it could have happened then - by-bye Superhost badge, methinks … also luckily I haven’t got to cancel any bookings, and just our daughter and family will have to delay their visit by a few days.

Still, it’s going to cost us about 2,000 euros altogether to fix … better get on with trying to get those bookings rolling in for the Summer!

My condolences on the loss of your wood floor.

May I ask why you chose laminate over other flooring, specifically, tile?

You have ALL the hugs and sympathy you can handle from me! What a total and nasty surprise. Amazed that you are getting things fixed so quickly in Spain!

We have tile in most of the house, but I actually prefer a softer look in the bedroom. Also, it was on special offer and I can get it laid more quickly!

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What a nightmare! I don’t know anything about termites so just curious - was it because of your wood floor (do they live in wood)?

Yes, so was I! Actually our usual builder is usually very quick to respond, but is busy … he’s Iranian, and the Termite-inator is a Brit!

They feast on wood that has gotten wet and can do tremendous amounts of damage.

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I now know more than I ever wanted to about the life cycle of the little buggers … they actually come from underground (they’re subterranean termites rather than the dry-wood ones you get in parts of the US) and they enter the house through any gap in the foundations. Our house is built into the hillside, so the basement is directly on the soil. They find a nice cosy place to nest under the house and then they chomp their way through wood floors, doorposts, beams, furniture - you name it, if it contains cellulose it’s a gourmet delight for them. Then in Spring, when it warms up, the grubs turn into nymphs, wiggle out into the light and swarm … when we lived in Brazil we used to watch them emerge in their gazillions from termite mounds in the next door plot …

I could go on about their endearing little habits but I think I’ve probably grossed you out enough … and it’s bedtime here. I shall try not to dream of small winged creatures …

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Yes, and I actually blame our water company for this. We had a lot of damp over the Winter and suddenly found our basement was flooded. The leak was traced to the mains drainpipe across the road that had a plastic connection that had broken and water must have been building up in the ground for months until it reached such a point that it flooded the basement. We had never had any problems with damp before (this is Spain, dammit!) and had to do a lot of drying out and redecorating. The water compant coughed up for that, but I think it would be dufficult to prove that had a direct connection to the termite infestation, though I’m sure that was the cause.

Oh yuck. Poor you, and your poor floor! At least, as you say, this didn’t happen when you had guests

Laminate in Europe is much better quality than what you are thinking of in the US @KKC. We have laminate in Barcelona and we are going on our 5th season, and it looks amazing, and has probably lasted better than parquet.

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@Malagachica sending you hugs!!! If any guests say they are headed your way we always let them know we have a friend in Malaga with an amazing listing. :heart_eyes:

I adore Malaga!! Dali and beach, such a wonderful combination plus simply beautiful architecture. My sympathies @Malagachica what a horrible surprise. Ps I only just got your username !

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Hi @Malagachica,

Hugs and commiserations. 2000 Euros actually sounds cheap for Europe - what is the area of the affected floor? We’ve had fun experiences with termites here too. It’s actually a big part of why I am using wood less and less in our home, though I like wood. Real wood, that is. Not laminate.Though good wood is increasingly hard to find here at a reasonable price. Increasingly I’m going with metal and tile. Tile is very good for this climate, easy to clean,and looks good.

My current guest room was in fact very neglected for approximately 20 years before I took it over. And when I first looked at it, there were termites crawling all over the walls. It was basically a black hole.

Would laminate be termite-resistant? After such an experience, I’d be more likely to go with something like tiles myself.

Thanks for the concern, Faheem … we had the Termite-inator in today so now both the termites (I hope!) and my lovely wood floor (sad face) are history! Yes, I think we did get a good deal, and I was very happy with the guy who performed the massacre … and the €2000 actually includes the laying of the new laminate floor. It’s only a not very large bedroom and a corridor, the rest of the flat is tile.

I did consider tile but the laminate is pre-treated against the little beasties, and our guy thought that with all the termiticide (is that a word?) he had put in valves in the walls and sub-floor, and the fact that we had found where they had entered the flat and blocked it up, he was sure we’d be protected (they re-inject the valves every 5 years.)

I’m a bit over tiles, we have them in most of the house, as is usual here and I find them cold and hard … and I LOATHE cleaning grout. I really like polished concrete and micro-cement, but can’t afford these …

Thanks to everyone for the good wishes and sympathy … I think the grieving period may be coming to and end …!

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Same back at you, Az! We’ve actually got some guests from Barcelona coming later this year … they’ll be here for the Malaga Feria in August so we’ll show them that the Andalucians can beat the Catalans at partying any day!

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Yes, @Zandra, excellent sentiments (though Picasso rather than Dali …!) and it is indeed a pretty town. Glad you interpreted my username - though I must admit that at just turned 70 (gulp!) I probably can’t actually claim to be a chica any more …

Ha yes Picasso ! How could I have confused the two :astonished:

70 ! And on Airbnb ! I am impressed I wish my gran was more adventurous like that. I tried convincing her to invest in property when she was in her early seventies but she was far too cautious about it. I didn’t push as I love her rather a lot and if she’d have been stressed it wouldn’t have been worthwhile anyway.

The sad thing is of course the massive lump sum she had has now dwindled (in her 80s now) and had she been a bit braver she’d be a bit more comfortable now.