what caused this hole in my skirting board [pic]

[SkirtOverHere]

I pulled the couch off the wall for the first time in maybe 6 months dont judge me and saw this hole in the skirting board. I'm sure it wasn't there previously.

I'm a bit scared to ask, but what would have made this hole?

rot.

Which of the dark marks is the hole? Left or right?

unless perhaps you are in or near Surrey.

Poke the surface around the hole with a biro or screwdriver. Does it go in?

Is this on the ground floor? Is it a concrete floor?

Tiny rats...

What's in Surrey?

Rot..try sticking a skewer in between the two holes, it looks pretty damp to me

North West Surrey (mostly) has House Longhorn Beetle. It is more common in roof timbers.

Yes ground floor, not on a concrete slab. Not Surrey, London. Both dark spots are holes.

It crumbles when I poke around the holes.

What do I need to do to fix it

Find and cure the source of the damp. For example it might be a leaking radiator pipe, or it might be that your subfloor void is damp because the airbricks are blocked or there is a leak underneath.

Whatever bits of rotten wood you pull off, put in a clear plastic bag and seal it shut, until you know what sort of rot it is. Have a look under the carpet and at all the nearby skirtings and floorboards, including on the other side of the wall. You are looking particularly for the colour of the wood, and fluffy or cobweb-like strands, and the shape of cracking in the timber, e.g. has it shrunk and cracked into cubes.

If you see anything resembling a mushroom, or any orange dust, photograph it.

I've just doubled the size of the hole by poking around.

Hmm, I've just remembered we had a plinth resting against it for about 12 months (it was hidden by the couch )

This is a job for DH isn't it. I had hoped it would sort itself out eternally optimistic

thanks everyone, especially PJ

Shit PJ I vacuumed up the bits that fell off, I just saw you said bag it up. Do I need to go through the bagless vac?

I was especially interested in not spreading the spores around, as well as keeping samples for inspecton..

As it is bagless I think I would empty it into a plastic bag outside the house and bin it, then wipe or spray the hose and container with Kitchen Spray with Bleach and wipe out, take off the filters too and wash. You could pick out and keep a few sample bits of rotten wood in a clear sealed bag.

It used to be recommended that you don't hoover up rot, but modern vacs have fine filters so I suppose they would trap the spores instead of blowing them round the house.

Not sure what else you could use to sterilise it without damage. Maybe sponge with a cleaning solution of bleach plus a touch of WUL.

If you manage to identify it as not dry rot, you need not fret so much.

Orange or red dust (spores of dry rot) are especially undesirable.