Solid wood office furniture is an ever popular staple for executive office suites. Usually, these items are highly durable and will remain in excellent condition for decades with appropriate care. However, there are tiny intruders that can leave your lovely wood desk peppered with unsightly holes. Powderpost beetles and other insects sometimes infest trees before they are harvested. Depending on the species of wood boring beetle involved, they may take up to 2 years to complete their life cycle and emerge – leaving tiny holes in the surface of the wood. Raw lumber used to make furniture should always be properly treated to kill any hitchhikers. If you are purchasing solid wood furnishings, it doesn’t hurt to check with your office furniture supplier and ask about the methods used to ensure your wood furniture is free of pests.

Some wood eating insects such as drywood termites will attack wood furniture even after it is finished and sealed. The appropriate control method for this kind of infestation depends on the species of insect that is in the wood. The usual way of identifying the species is unpleasant but effective. You can determine what type of insect is involved by inspecting the frass (a mixture of excrement and wood fragments) they leave behind. In some cases, wood furniture can be successfully treated with fumigation. In worst case scenario situations, you simply have to replace the item entirely. Fortunately, new wood furnishings are not nearly as prone to infestation as antique wooden furniture tends to be. So, well-made solid wood furniture can still be a great choice for your corner office. Just be on the lookout for potential issues if your indoor work environment is fairly humid or if the office building has a history of termite problems.