Rot in skirting board, door frame, stud. Rising damp, or something else?

[Toby1]

Hi folks

I noticed some rot the other day in the skirting board in our 'sun room', which is an enclosed area on a concrete slab at the back of our house that connects the kitchen with the laundry/toilet, and has a door to the outside. I am pretty sure that originally (house is 1930s) it was an outside area that was later enclosed.

Pulling back the skirting board I found more rot in the door frame, and in the horizontal stud that is behind the wall panel (which, by the way, could this be asbestos? I don't think so, but not sure).

I think the rot might be from damp rising through the concrete. It seems like the stud might just be resting on the slab. Does this sound plausible? And if this is the issue, what's the fix?

Many thanks

[EricL]

Hello @Toby1

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fantastic to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about rot in your skirting board.

I strongly suggest holding off on any other exploratory removal of your wall lining. There is a possibility that your wall covering could be lined with asbestos. The only positive way to confirm this is to send parts of your wall for analysis to an accredited lab. I suggest having a quick look at this discussion - Asbestos in your home by @AHoy.

Since this is the only damage to have occurred on your skirting board since the 30s, it's safe to conclude that it was caused by moisture damage over an extended period of time. I recommend using Earl's 250ml Wood Hardener to penetrate and restore the wood's original strength. You can also use it to spray over any soft timber pieces that are near the damaged area.

Your options are to either leave the wall alone and patch the damage with Builders Bog or go the long route of wall removal by accredited asbestos specialists in your area. 

Here is a link to the Bunnings Health and Safety Guide: Health and Safety

Let me call on our experienced members @diy_hausdesigns and @Brad for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Toby1]

This is so helpful! Thank you!!

[MitchellMc]

It's great you've found @EricL's advice helpful, @Toby1.

Please keep us updated on your project and reach out if you need further assistance.

Mitchell

[Toby1]

Quick update - sprayed the area with Hardener, waited for it to dry, and have now started to build the area back up with builder's bog:

[MitchellMc]

Looking good, @Toby1! Keep building it up and knocking it back until you get that profile sorted. Remember to cut away or sand back everything proud of the surface before adding your next coat of bog. It looks like you know what you're doing, though. I love that you've used some type of form the establish the front face of the skirting. What exactly did you do there?

Mitchell

[Toby1]

Hi Mitchell - Yep, well spotted. I got inspiration from this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51-X-3La_cU, but basically I just used a spare bit of 2x4 timber with masking tape on the surface that was going to touch the bog. It was long enough that I could press the other end against the remaining bit of skirting board, so that it carried on the same plane. Worked really well!