Mould Advice Please.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

We have always lived in new or reasonably new houses.Just 6 months ago we moved to an old house built in 1896.We have spent 6 months renovating it and it has had a new damp course.
Our problem is this,being an end terrace the outside wall is quite cold.We had built in wardrobes put against this wall and on the very end of the run there is a bit of mould (only at floor level next to skirting,where there is a gap of about 5mm between skirting and floorboard). We also found a bit of mould on the bottom corner of the wall downstairs,same wall just opposite end.Everything in between is ok.
What I need to know is is it normal for this to occur in old houses without there being a damp problem,since we have a new damp course.Also how do I keep it away.I must admit I have not had the windows open much as we have only concerned ourselves with the rooms we have been working in.Am I right to panic or is this something I am going to have to learn to manage.I,m beginning to wonder just what I have gotton into taking on such an old house with no experience of them.Any help would be appreciated.Thankyou.

Mine'sAPintPlease

I've lived in a fair few houses and flats with damp and mould. My current flat is of a similar vintage to yours, and I've had various patches of damp on and off for the last 8 years.

Ventilation is key to keeping mould away, so keeping a window open in these rooms whenever possible is a good idea. I personally wouldn't panic about it as it sounds like a fairly small patch of mould - if it were a wall that looked very damp and had bits of wallpaper or paint peeling off, then I would be getting concerned.

Since repainting nearly all of my flat with trade dulux (which is one of the thickest paints you can buy, and worth every penny), my mould patches have all but disappeared. I also use Polycell's mould killer (from B&Q) which is very effective at cleaning off the mould and keeping it mould free for several months, although it might not be suitable on walls with cheaper paints on them.

Poppycat

I agree poor ventilation is often the problem, even if you can just have the windows on trickle vent if its UPVC would help. If its old sash windows perhaps invest in dehumifier. I would also clean the mould with a mould killer, and perhaps repaint the effected areas

I use to get a lot of mould where the roof meets my ceiling and outside wall and cured this with putting more insulation in the loft which was hard to get out due to lck of space, pushed the insulation with a stick, problem solved, neighbour has the exact same problem.

I also used to get problems from a outside wall in kids room behind a wardrobe, the cure was to leave a inch gap between the wall and the wardrobe, again that was down to ventilation.

greyteam1959

MRSTITTLEMOUSE wrote:

We have always lived in new or reasonably new houses.Just 6 months ago we moved to an old house built in 1896.We have spent 6 months renovating it and it has had a new damp course.
Our problem is this,being an end terrace the outside wall is quite cold.We had built in wardrobes put against this wall and on the very end of the run there is a bit of mould (only at floor level next to skirting,where there is a gap of about 5mm between skirting and floorboard). We also found a bit of mould on the bottom corner of the wall downstairs,same wall just opposite end.Everything in between is ok.
What I need to know is is it normal for this to occur in old houses without there being a damp problem,since we have a new damp course.Also how do I keep it away.I must admit I have not had the windows open much as we have only concerned ourselves with the rooms we have been working in.Am I right to panic or is this something I am going to have to learn to manage.I,m beginning to wonder just what I have gotton into taking on such an old house with no experience of them.Any help would be appreciated.Thankyou.

Ventilation is the key
Old houses usually had plenty of ventilation ie poorly fitting doors / sash windows etc etc. Coal fires had chimneys which also vented a property.
Unfortunately with the advent of UPVC sealed unit replacement windows doors etc and the blocking up of fireplaces all this ventilation stopped. Therefore the moisture in the air produced by general living has knowhere to go.
When the warm air inside the house touches the colder outer walls moisture condenses on the surface and this in turn goes mouldy.
I had this problem many years ago. It was so bad that clothes in wardrobes were going mouldy !!!
I fitted a Nuaire ventilation fan. This fan sets up a slight positive pressure in the house and has completely prevented any re occurence of my problems.
I would highly recommend the system to anybody with this sort of problem.
Costs about £500.00 fan fits in loft and can be fitted with simple DIY skills.
Running costs are same as 100w light bulb.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

Thanks for the quick replies well since you have all mentioned ventilation,I think you may well have solved the problem.
We have new double glazing in all the rooms and since this is a rather large house which can be draughty and with us not being used to an old house we have rather stupidly kept the doors to the rooms we have'nt been working in shut and the windows closed.I guess you live and learn but we thought with the place being old we would have to keep it heated and keep the heat in over the winter.I now feel very stupid and Im off to get some mould killer.Silly thing is in all my other houses I always kept the windows open and my husband insisted I should'nt do this in this house in case we caused damp.Once again thankyou.

Poppycat

You could also fit air bricks in the rooms and also to help minimise condensation, don't breathe, only joking. Seriously have window open when cooking even for a short while, same with showers, baths, don't hang washing on rads if you do so. If we get a nice dayish I tend to have a window open or back door, but its rare as we don't often get good days this time of year