Piling Wraps vs. Concrete Encapsulation: Which Is Right for Your Dock?

When Gulf Coast dock owners start researching piling protection, two terms come up repeatedly: piling wraps and concrete encapsulation. Both protect pilings against marine borer damage. Both are significantly less expensive than full replacement. But they are not the same thing, they are not interchangeable, and choosing the wrong one for a particular piling's condition can mean spending money on protection that is not sufficient for the actual problem. Here is how to think about the choice.

What a Piling Wrap Does

A piling wrap is a physical barrier — typically a sleeve made from fiberglass, polyethylene, or another polymer material — that is installed around the exterior of a piling and sealed at the base. The wrap creates a barrier between the piling and the marine environment, preventing Teredo shipworm larvae from reaching the wood surface and establishing. It also protects the piling from Limnoria surface erosion and general physical weathering in the splash zone.

A properly installed piling wrap is an effective biological barrier. Its limitation is that it is primarily a surface treatment — it encases the piling but does not fill internal voids or structurally reinforce the wood beneath it. A piling with significant internal Teredo tunneling is still compromised structurally after wrapping, even though the biological attack stops. The existing worms inside will live out their lifespan (though they cannot expand further), and the tunnels remain.

What Concrete Encapsulation Adds

Concrete encapsulation takes the wrap concept further by filling the space between the wrap and the piling — and any voids within the piling itself — with concrete or a cementitious grout. The wrap serves as the structural form, and the concrete fill creates a rigid composite structure around the wood.

This matters for damaged pilings because it addresses internal voids. Concrete fill flows into Teredo tunnels and galleries, fills them, and locks them in place as it cures. The result is a piling that has been both sealed against further biological attack and structurally reinforced — the load capacity lost to internal boring is partially restored by the concrete composite structure. For pilings with meaningful structural damage, encapsulation is not just better protection than wrapping alone — it is a different category of intervention.

How They Work Together

Our patent-pending approach integrates both elements. The structural wrap serves as the form for the concrete encapsulation and remains as a permanent outer protective layer after the concrete cures. This means the finished installation delivers the biological barrier of a wrap plus the structural reinforcement of encapsulation, with no additional interface between the two systems. The wrap and concrete cure together as an integral composite column.

Which Treatment Does Your Dock Need?

A Wrap Alone May Be Right If:

• The piling is structurally sound with no significant internal damage
• You are in a high-risk environment and want to protect new or recently installed pilings preventively
• Inspection confirms surface erosion is the primary threat rather than internal boring
• The piling is in a lower-salinity environment where biological risk is moderate

Full Encapsulation Is Right If:

• The piling shows evidence of Teredo damage (probe testing, visual examination of entry holes, or probing that reveals soft interior)
• You are in a high-salinity, high-risk environment like the open Gulf, a tidal pass, or a productive bay system
• The piling has lost cross-sectional area from Limnoria erosion and needs structural reinforcement
• The piling has been in service for 10 or more years without prior protection and is in a borer-active environment
• You want the maximum available protection for the life of the dock

The Cost Comparison

Wrap-only installation is less expensive per piling than full encapsulation, reflecting the difference in materials (concrete, mixing, pumping equipment) and labor. However, the decision should not be made on cost alone — choosing wrap-only for a piling that needs encapsulation is not saving money, it is accepting less protection for a piling that needs more. We assess each piling individually and recommend the appropriate level of treatment, with transparent pricing for both options.

Both treatments are dramatically less expensive than full piling replacement, which typically runs $1,500–$3,500 per piling or more in Gulf Coast conditions. Even full encapsulation is typically 40–60% of replacement cost — and provides permanent biological protection that a replacement piling without treatment does not.

Getting the Right Answer for Your Dock

The decision between a wrap and encapsulation — or no intervention at all for a genuinely sound piling — should be made piling by piling, based on actual condition assessment rather than a blanket treatment approach. A dock with 12 pilings might need full encapsulation on four, wrap-only on five, and no treatment yet on three. One-size-fits-all approaches in either direction — treating everything with the minimum or recommending full encapsulation on every piling — are not in the property owner's interest.

Deep South Marine Restoration provides free on-site inspections that assess each piling individually, identify the appropriate treatment, and provide a transparent, itemized quote before any work begins. We serve Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Texas — call or text 985-200-2225 to schedule.