I recently bought a large Acacia slab table from Thailand and I recently noticed that a number of small holes have shown up in one of the edges of the table. I’m guessing it is some sort of Powderpost beetle that came over with the piece of furniture, but now I need some advice for how to deal with it—and how to make sure the rest of my apartment building isn’t now at risk. The table is ~3 inches thick solid unfinished wood. Six holes have appeared all within 18inches of each other along one edge of the slab. I was looking at Jecta Gel but wanted to see if that’s my best option and if so how to most effectively apply it.
No doubt there is are active wood borers in the table. If you want to keep it, treat it with either BORACARE, JECTA GEL or FS MP AEROSOL.
Each has advantages and disadvantages but they all can do the job needed.
With BORACARE, you’ll be able to simply “paint” all sides at least twice. Mix the Boracare with equal amounts of water and either wipe it on, paint it on or spray it on each side. Laying the table on one side, you’d then want to saturate the side and let it sit for at least one day before treating the other side. I recommend treating each side at least twice and to ensure the job is done correctly, get at least 32 oz of Boracare applied but using more will not hurt anything. Once both sides are treated twice, let the piece sit for at least 1 week to cure. After that, you can seal it, stain it, etc. as desired. Boracare would be the “easiest” option but since its only available in gallon jugs, the most costly.
The second option is the JECTA GEL. This product will work just as well and cost half as much. However, you’ll need to drill 3/8″ holes into the table like a checkerboard spaced no more than 4″ apart. These holes will then be filled with the gel so it can permeate through the wood grain. Acacia is a hard wood and as such, not so easy to drill. Furthermore, it will require a lot of holes and a sharp drill bit. Long story short, the added expense of the drill bit and time could outweigh the cost savings of using the gel over the Boracare.
The third option is the FS MP. It would be the least costly but like the Jecta Gel, require a holes. The good news is these holes need only be 1/4″. The bad news is you’ll need a lot more compared to the Jecta Gel. For the FS MP, you’ll need to space the holes in a checkerboard pattern no more than 2″ apart from one another. Like the Jecta Gel, you will only need to drill the holes on one side and they will not interfere with the structural integrity of the wood. You’ll need to inject each hole at least 3 times to get good penetration and coverage throughout the piece. Treat each hole by pushing the nozzle just enough to let the spray come out but not all the way down as this will be too powerful causing splash back. Once treated, let it sit for at least one day before using it again.
In summary, all three options can handle the task. The question is which one you prefer based on time and cost.
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