Wood decay in buildings can cause severe economic losses, require comprehensive refurbishment, and removal of decayed wooden elements from the building. The latter aims at restoring the structural integrity of the component or the entire building through replacement, and at preventing the infestation from spreading further. In practice, components are cut out of the structure to such an extent that the affected parts are safely removed. An addition is made beyond the visible area of the infestation. However, there is no scientific evidence to justify such an addition. This study aimed therefore at comparing the suitability of different methods for decay detection to identify borders of fungal decay in wooden components. Study objects from real buildings were inspected visually, underwent a x-ray-based density profiling, drilling resistance measurements and High-Energy Multiple Impact (HEMI) – tests. None of these methods indicated a possible loss of structural integrity of the wood that was not already macroscopically visible on the sanded cross-sectional surfaces of the components. To overcome the drawback of real building components which contain cracks, insect damage and other defects, a follow-up validation study is planned using new wooden beams after they have been incubated with different decay fungi under controlled laboratory conditions.

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