Carpets turning black around the edges of rooms

[MadCap]

My dh and I are completely renovating a 1930s semi (new electrics, heating, sorting out damp etc) and want to avoid a problem we encountered in our last 1930s house. The carpets in our last house all turned black around the edges but was most prominent near the radiators.

Dh reckons its dust from under the floorboards, because the house had that really old blackish grey plaster (new house does too.) MIL says I need to hoover upstairs more than once a week.

I have no idea, but I want to sort it now while I have all the floor boards up and before I spend 's on new carpets.

Anyone have experience of this?

[Vickiyumyum]

its where your hoover doesn't reach to the edges, so basically its not hovered. at least it was in the case of the house where this happened to me, as I hovered it without the large head on it and it all came up. New hoover is edge to edge and its not happened in the new house.

[Madmog]

Some of our carpets are dark around the edges, and I had assumed it was because I don't always hoover into the edges.

If you do have any new carpets layed, do make sure they go onto clean floors though. We wiped ours over about three times and hovered before having new carpets downstairs. Probably won't make a different, but good to get rid of dust underneath.

[CollieEye]

It is the dust from under the floorboards. We live in a 1900s house with the black plaster you describe. It's only noticeable on the cream carpet we have in our bedroom a regret buying that Perhaps go down the route of darker carpets?

[MrsFlorrick]

Sadly its about the age of the house and the dirt under Neath the floor boards.

I live in a 200 year old house and current carpets are less than 3 years old and turning black at the edges.

I Hoover upstairs 3 times a week and am diligent about edges.

Can't be helped.

When I replace current carpets I will get a much darker colour to hide it.

Or have wood flooring also solves the problem.

When we refurbed the bathrooms 2 years ago the floors were open to move pipe work etc and the dirt trapped in between the joists was just incredible. I cannot tell you how bad it was.
It was a black dust.
But that's 200 years worth of build up.

If you had your carpets cleaned it may shift?

[AMumInScotland]

You used to get a quarter-round moulding which you could nail along the edge, which helps. My Dad always called it 'moosy moulding' ie to keep the little meeces out! (Mice for the English...)

But I'm not sure what the equivalent is to work with fitted carpets.

[Vickiyumyum]

it can't be the age of the house, the one where it happened with cream carpets (other houses always had darker carpeting or wood) was a 1990's built house, no floorboards, just continuous sheets of plywood iyswim.

[MadCap]

Thanks all! MIL hoovered under downstairs floorboards when we were replacing the rotten joists. My vacuum head isn't bulky. Darker carpet may be way to go as we have a cat and 2 dc under 5.

[snowgirl1]

I think some carpet fitting companies (certainly John Lewis) recommend laying 'lining' paper underneath the underlay to prevent dust coming up between the floorboards. They charge a bit extra for the lining paper too, of course.

[MadCap]

Ooh, naughty John Lewis, they fitted our carpets at our old house and didn't mention the paper. Will look into it.

[MadCap]

Shivati, I was going to mention that in the op. Our house is near, but not on, two major road, two quite large factories and a recently closed down airport. The air pollution is the worst of anywhere I've ever lived. Suppose it could be that.

[MadCap]

Shivari, sorry

[member]

Peripheral filtration soiling, caused by draughts usually between floor & skirting/quite often worse in an area where there is an airing cupboard & the draught/dust is dragged by the doors.

In my last house, I did manage to get the marks lessened by a professional carpet cleaner who pre-sprayed & brushed the area before using his high-powered steam vacuum thingy.

We used a good quality underlay when we re-carpeted & there were no problems five years on when we sold.

[PigletJohn]

Yes, it is draughts from under the floor blowing dust that the carpet filters out. Next time you have the floors up you can clean out the dirt and pack mineral wool between the joists to block the draughts. Taping builders paper to the floorboards will help but you need to caulk the gap under the skirtings too.

[PartingFancy]

You might want to caulk round the ceiling-wall junction, too. In our house some of the worst blackening - all down the walls, too - came from downward drafts from the loft.

[PigletJohn]

Yes, I used expanding foam from the loft round the edges You have to vac out all the dirt so it can stick, and spray lightly with water.

It is quite messy.

If you are actually taking the floors or skirting up, you can inject the foam into gaps in the brickwork where dirt and draughts blow in. The plaster seals these gaps inside the room. Don't block ground-floor airbricks.

[imip]

Interesting. We inherited cream carpets with black edges when we brought our new build (10 yr old). We assumed it was the previous owner,who smoked like a chimney. Blackish markings also on magnolia walls around all the frames she had hung. Up. Been in the house 3.5 yrs and very now and them you stillgeta waft of smoke smell, ESP in unused cupboards.

Slowly renovating house so carpet will be the last thing to go, sadly...

[Alwayscheerful]

Line the boards with hardboard or plywood next time you replace the carpets.

[PartingFancy]

I just used decorator's caulk from the room side. Still advisable to clean with a damp cloth first, but a much easier job than doing it in the loft (also no risk of blocking your eaves ventilation).

[MadCap]

Great advice! Thanks all.

[MrsFlorrick]

Current 200 yo house. We have lined all the floors with ply to even them out and we have paper lining. As well as skirting board which sit lower than the carpet line. Ie they sit to the old wood floor boards. And we have the black edges appearing from old dirt.

Our previous home was a modern architect designed house and in over 6 years we didn't have any black edges. Despite living in central London quite close to several busy roads. We had lots of sooty dust on window sills weekly.