Could we use wood, (termite) damaged side up, as flooring?

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Q: I have some old 1×12 pine paneling that I am going to use as flooring with a varathane finish. We are going to do some distressing to it. My question is: Some of the wood on the side we will use has termite damage. There is no termite activity. Could we use this termite damaged wood, damaged side up, as flooring with a heavy varathane finish, or would it create problems?

We already have some worm damaged wood in doors we are using. We like the look. How might we prep the termite damaged areas prior to finishing?

A: If the termite damaged area is sound other than tunneling, I don’t see it to be an issue. You might choose to apply some filler to these areas. Timbermate is the most robust wood filler I’ve ever used.

You might want to consider an alternate finish such as this penetrating tung oil product. Also, if you were going to stain this floor, adding the stain to this finish is a brilliant way to stain pine. http://www.waterlox.com

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