carpet mould

[Barbel Bob]

Hi,

We have fitted a natural fibre carpet a few weeks ago on top of a tiled floor, glue was used to stick the carpet down (one that leroy merlin recommended). We have noticed now in serveral areas around the room mould has began to appear, this is along the edge of the carpet along the skirting board.

Has anyone got any idea what is causing this, as if it gets any worse the carpet will have to be thrown away [:(]

Thanks as alway for your help and advice

Jue

[cassis]

Mould grows where it is damp.  So presumably the damp is mostly sealed in by the tiles but it's coming up where the floor meets the walls.  I'm sure there must be a builder on here who can give a more detailed diagnosis.

[Barbel Bob]

I was afraid someone might say that? I was told french houses dont have damp proof courses not sure if that is true, our house is 250yrs old with concrete floors, no smell of damp so fingers crossed?

Thanks cassis

[Jo]

We have had a carpet down with no problems in a small office for years, yet suddenly we have got mould growing on it in parts. I have since discovered that rain is getting in around the door frame, so it looks like damp is the problem.[:(]

[kimg]

id put a dehumidifier in, dry it out and then see whether it re appears?

 

kim

[Jo]

It does[:(]

[Barbel Bob]

Hi,

There is a lot of humidity in the air, the windows are misted up all day in all my downstair rooms, also in the room which the carpet is in we have taken the wall back to the original brick and pointed it up, that was about 2mths ago and some of it has still not dried out, the carpet at the bottom of this wall is particularly bad with the mould, however it is on two other sides of the room also. We also use a paraffin heater in this room which someone has told me creates humidity, the ventilation is good with an open fireplace.

I will see if i can get my hands on a de-humidifier to see if that helps

thanks jue

[Jonzjob]

If I remember correctly then for every gallon of paraffin you burn you produce, or release, a pint of water into the air. I think that it's the reason that de-humidifiers are so popular here? So if you have a damp problem then I don't think that a lot of parafin heaters will help you?

LPG is not nearly so bad, but it still releases a fair amount of water on combustion.

I just had a thought? I wonder if they put it in there to increase the bulk, a bit like the Chinese with their melamine?[8-)]

No not really. Parafine is very hydroscopic, it attracts water and absorbs a lot of it. You should see how much finishes up in jet aircraft fuel tanks!!

[Kitty]

A thread about mould:

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1408755/ShowPost.aspx

 

[BIG MAC]

Warm room no DPCs absorbent carpet acting as a wick pulling damp through masonry by capilary action? You could lift carpet and tannk floor with bituthene prior to laytex screed and run it up the walls to a point where it can be hidden by a skirting board then refit carpet. I think Ardex do a water resistant lightweight self level screed also.

 

[Patf]

Sorry to be negative, but how many french country houses have fitted carpets? Most have no foundations, or dpcs, and are often built over ground where there is an underground water course. Like ours. Not a good setting for carpets.

Another point, when animals are in and out of the house various bugs take up residence in the carpets. And so much mud is brought in on people's feet.

Perhaps too late for you, Bob, but tiles and mats are more practical.

[cooperlola]

I'm with Patf on this one.  Our house back in the UK had tiled floors downstairs and these were laid directly onto the earth.  Short of digging them all up and adding a damp proof layer as recomended above (and they were 150 year old Victorian quarry tiles so that was never going to happen) we were stuck with a recurring "problem" of damp rising occasionally at wetter times of the year.  The house was designed in this way and a certain amount of "sweating" was considered quite acceptable.  The previous occupants of the house had done just as you have and laid a carpet in the hall which had just the kind of problems you describe.  We pulled up the carpet and had no further problems in the 25 years we lived there.