Often occurring as a result of rising or penetrating damp, any timber in contact with high levels of moisture, damp masonry or substrate is at risk of rot.
Wet and dry rot are different both in terms of cause and remedy, therefore correctly establishing the problem is key to long term resolution.
Wet rot can develop as a brown or white fungus. Unlike dry rot it is caused by many different species and is confined to the damp timbers.
Wet rot can be as simple as rotting skirting boards due to prolonged contact with damp masonry, which would display as warping, splitting and soft timber. Often this will be accompanied with a damp smell and fungal growth (which is less obvious on painted surfaces).
In more serious cases structural timbers, suspended timber floors. window frames, lintels, doors can be severely affected, initially this would present as bounce in flooring, cracks above lintels and sagging in roofs.
Once the rotting fungus has taken hold timber replacement may be required, however the sooner you act the less damage will be caused. Contact a specialist before your property is structurally undermined.
An outbreak of dry rotting fungus is very different from one of wet rot. Dry rot can be a complex as it has the capacity to effect timbers, masonry, plasterwork and develop mycelium (branch like structures) which transport moisture and nutrients over long distances to previously unaffected areas.
The mycelium form strands and work their way behind plaster, through permeable bricks and mortar and effectively penetrate masonry. If the strands reach damp timbers a new outbreak will occur.
Dry rot is facilitated by damp, poorly ventilated and fluctuating conditions.
Often the first sign of dry rot is a ‘fruit body’, which looks like a fleshy yellow ochre pancake. Over time it matures to a rusty red colour. The fruit body generates a profuse quantity of spores, which settle as a reddish brown dusty layer.
Mycelium will appear as silky white sheets and or a cotton wool like appearance with yellow tinges. Strands of white or grey ‘branching’ may be evident; these can reach the thickness of a pencil.
The removal of the fruit body, Mycelium and spores should not be undertaken as a DIY task, nor should the treatment. There are many stages to the sterilisation, replacement of effected timbers and masonry and the prevention of a further outbreak.
Although dry rot can be very serious, these outbreaks can be treated very successfully by a specialist company such as Sovereign Preservation, so it is important to get professional advice as soon as possible.
– Identification and specialist treatment specification
– Safe removal and disposal of effected timber and masonry
– Sterilisation and reinstatement
– Up to 30 year guarantees available
