Rotted studs

[encinitaz]

I am replacing a bathtub and surrounding tile walls due to water damage.
After I tore out the walls I found the wall studs are rotted. The plumber doing the bathtub replacement said to leave them in and he will put new studs in next to them. Do I need to cut away the rotted portion of the existing studs or anything else to mitigate the rotting?

[jadnashua]

If it stays dry, it will stop rotting. If it gets wet again, the punky wood (like a sponge) would hold more moisture to allow it to rot faster.

[citm2000]

If you live where there are termites, you should remove the rotted wood. Most termite bonds won't cover any infestation that happens as a result of water damage.

[frenchie]

The rotted wood, even once dry, contains the spores for further rot.

Take it all out.

[jadnashua]

Spores are almost literally everywhere. They don't do anything if it is dry.If they are no longer structural, you either need to replace or sister, but again depending on how bad they are, there may not be much to sister to.

[99k]

There is no time like the present ... rip it out! It's easy.

[frenchie]

Spores are almost literally everywhere. They don't do anything if it is dry.If they are no longer structural, you either need to replace or sister, but again depending on how bad they are, there may not be much to sister to.

Everywhere, sure - but not in the concentrations you'll find on an already-rotting piece of wood.

I work on beach houses a lot; and I used to work on boats.

I stand by my previous statement: if the new wood ever gets damp, it will rot out MUCH FASTER if it's up against old rotted wood, than if the old rotted wood was removed.