Before you start looking into treatments, you’ll want to know how to identify dry rot in the first place. This kind of mould is particularly devastating to household timber, and it’s very beneficial to pick up on the signs sooner rather than later.
Fortunately, dry rot can be easily identified using all your senses. As a result, we’ve created a guide on what to look for, with most of your five senses to help decide if you need dry rot treatment or not.
Smell: Can You Smell Mould?
The first and easiest sign that you need dry rot treatment is the smell. This kind of mould gives off a distinct smell, and it’s one you’ll recognise. Whether it’s your floorboards, stud work or roof trusses, if you can detect the aroma of damp, wet mushrooms, then you might have dry rot.
Sight: Visible Mycelium & Dust Build-up
Another obvious sign of dry rot is the visible growth of mycelium. This is the root of a fungus, much like a plant. It’s the base of further growth for dry rot. Mycelium is easily identified by its white, strand-like growth pattern, along with brown to rusty orange spore buildup, sometimes mistaken for dust.
If you can see visible mould growth on any of your property’s timber, we recommend contacting a professional service like Damp Shield to apply appropriate dry rot treatments before it causes further damage.
Touch: Is It Brittle & Crumbles When Disturbed?
Brittle and crumbling wood is a sure-fire indication of dry rot. When timber is dry and settled within a building it should last for decades, if not centuries when preserved properly. If your home has wood that crumbles when you touch it, then you most likely need dry rot treatments.
Sound: Can You Hear an Increase in Creaking?
This is often overlooked, however, you can often hear dry rot problems within your home. Particularly at night, when everything is quiet. It’s important to note that this is most likely to occur when dry rot has entered your roof trusses. An increase in creaking means your structural timber is coming under more strain than usual. Due to the nature of dry rot and the fact that it creates brittle and cracking wood, excessive creaking is cause for concern.
We advise further investigation to identify more definitive signs of dry rot, so you can hire professionals for treatments.
Get in Touch with Damp Shield for Reliable Dry Rot Treatments
We take dry rot very seriously. It can be devastating to a building if not properly treated, so we ensure that any contact for our services is met with prompt, knowledgeable experts to start work on salvaging your timber features as soon as possible.
Damp Shield offers free quotes, a professional attitude and a 30-year insured guarantee on all of our works. Contact us to find out more
