The Arch Enemies Of Timber Structures: Dry And Wet Rot

The consistently wet weather conditions of London take a toll on the city’s structures, and it’s those made of wood that suffer the most from the all-pervasive damp, which is why they should undergo an independent damp and timber survey every year to see if the two most common damp-related problems have attacked- dry rot and wet rot!

Dry Rot – This highly destructive problem spreads swiftly, destroying wood from the flooring up to roof beams, it can completely compromise a wood building’s structural integrity! Dry rot is actually the result of having too much moisture in the wood. The culprits are usually long-term exposure to water from condensation on window sills, leaky pipes, and rain penetrating the roof.

Dry rot is the result of a voracious fungus that devours its favourite food, timber! Dry rot is rightfully feared by property owners, so an independent specialist damp surveyor is frequently summoned to check for its lurking presence. When the wood grows dark and discoloured, cracked, shrunken, and brittle, you have a dry rot infestation. The affected wood will begin to emit an unpleasant, damp, pungent odour. At that point, undergoing a professional dry rot treatment is your best hope of saving the infected wood structure!

Wet Rot – This destructive fungus is more prevalent than dry rot in London’s damp wooden buildings. The term wet rot actually refers to a group of closely related species, such as brown rot and white rot. These fungi all love to grow in damp, high-moisture areas like those close to a water source and the wet area surrounding it. Wet rot can often be found within a building’s structural defects as a result of rising or penetrating damp.

Another place these insidious fungi love is beneath a room’s floorboards. You can often sense the presence of wet rot by its nasty, musty stench. Another telltale sign is spongy, springy floorboards as well as swollen and misshapen structural timbers. Regular damp and timber independent surveys will help prevent wet rot from getting started. Wet rot is somewhat less destructive than diabolical dry rot, but a professional wet rot treatment should be applied as soon as it’s found to prevent it from spreading all through your property’s wooden structures!

The following preventive measures can help stop wood rot infections:

• Make sure all sources of moisture ingress and damp are closed off to deprive the rot of sustenance.
• Treat your timber with a dry rot resistant solution and a borate wood preservative.
• Remove and throw away all timber that has been damaged already.

At London Damp Specialists our experienced surveyors employ cutting edge technology to diagnose damp issues, so our inspections are always performed to the highest standard. If you have a rising damp problem, just call London Damp Specialists on 020 7523 5882 and we will dispatch an independent damp surveyor near you to help ascertain your damp problem. Damp can cause a lot of damage to a building and regular inspections are essential.