odd smells from under floorboards

1.9K Posts

We've moved to a detached house, it was done up after been empty for years.
There's a kind of damp smell (sometimes like cheap paint) from under the floorboards. We know there seems to be a lot of old plaster under the boards, would getting the boards up and removing all the rubble reduce the smell?
The ventilation is good, we can smell if the neighbour had a fag in his garage, could the damp smell be coming from his garage (it is a bit niffy).
Bad smells drive me crazy so any advice would be great.
There's a kind of damp smell (sometimes like cheap paint) from under the floorboards. We know there seems to be a lot of old plaster under the boards, would getting the boards up and removing all the rubble reduce the smell?
The ventilation is good, we can smell if the neighbour had a fag in his garage, could the damp smell be coming from his garage (it is a bit niffy).
Bad smells drive me crazy so any advice would be great.
0
This discussion has been closed.
Latest MSE News and Guides
Replies
I would firstly see if you can get the a corgi plumber to check for a leak, as it may be gas or a dodgy central heating pipe you are smelling
If you had a full structural anything dodgy like this would be on it. It is worth contacting a couple of damp cure companies in the phone book for them to come and have a peak, because what you can smell could be bad for your health long term but can be cured for a couple of hundred quid.
It could also be dead mice if someone has recently used rodent killer.
I would clear any excessive amounts of rubbish that are reducing airflow and make sure that all the airbricks around the outside of the house are clear and free of blockages. (These are the little bricks with all the holes in!, they should be about every 4-6ft around the outside)
Thanks for your advice.
I can't understand how you can smell cigarette smoke from your neighbours garage if you have a detached house?
A heating leak will not smell any different from any other water leak, I wouldn't get a Corgi man to check for a leak (expensive!). I would have thought your damp check would have noticed a leak.
You can check for a heating leak by tying up the ball valve and watching for a drop in water level if you have a header tank or watching for a pressure loss if you have a sealed system.
"Smells are difficult to track down as different people smell differnt things.
We had a bad fishy smell, it was coming from between the centre of the lounge and mostly the door. We thought for a long time, that it was coming from in between the concrete flooring, at the seams, concrete is put down in slabs and we thought it was coming up in between slabs.
Turned out to be a light fitting and not water between the concrete. when bakerlite gets hot it can smell.......it was a cheap tatty light made in china :doh:
robowen 5/6/2005©
''Never take an idiot anywhere with you. You'll always find one when you get there.''
This smell isn't when the floorboards are lifted, i can smell it all the time (sensitive snout unfortunately) OH can smell it when down by the skirting boards. The dampman thought it was condensation but we've improved ventilation and the smell hasn't improved.
We have a combi boiler and there's no dip in pressure, what if it's just a small long term leak, would that affect the pressure?
I'm starting to bore myself now so will leave you in peace. Goodnight.
Wet rot also has a smell, but it isn't as strong and it is more like something rotten than something mouldy. Hmm describing smells doesn't really work.
There was some wet rot but the joists have now been replaced.
We might need to get them out for a more thorough survey though as we can't seem to find any answers ourselves.
We had a bad smell at one time which we could not trace which eventually went. Years later we found a dessicated squirrel under the floor!
Thanks neverenough, it makes me feel i should get a damp expert in for a proper look, get the rubble out and hope for the best. It'll just be such a hassle to get all the carpets and floorboards up. Every room has a bit of an odd smell. This could take some time I guess.
Economiser, the previous owner of the house died over 2 years ago so the house smelt stale at first but i thought it go when it warmed up. We're 7 months on now and it's still niffy. Smells really affect me whereas DH barely notices them. Thanks for all the advice, it's greatly appreciated!