Hello, when I removed the skirting board in my hallway the area around the screw fixings crumbled. The screws were rusted but the back or the skirting board did'nt seem rotten? The floor is quarry tiled (1900 build) which i'd like to restore which does'nt seem damp? I have been looking at buying a damp meter. Any advice would be great!

screws do rust over time...
might not be a major issue, could just be condensation moisture getting behind the skirting...
no mention of it being rendered to the floor or symptoms of rising damp..
any other problems besides rusty screws?
1900 quarry tiled floor - more than likely sitting directly on clay, no dpm... maybe no dpc...

you can buy liquid dpm, dries clear, like a really really HARD varnish... not cheap - 80 quid for a 1 litre 2 pack (maybe cheaper elsewhere on line)... should sort any damp problems with the floor in association with a wall/floor fillet (provided theres dpc installed) but not condensation probs due to the surface being so cold....

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Thanks for the info,the house did have a flood a number of years ago. I reckon it could be that as the skirting was rotten at the front and not the wall side. when I removed the rotten wood around the screws to get mole grips on them I could smell damp. Having removed the rotten skirting the smell has gone completely! The floor tiles and wall don't feel damp.

Craig.

I very much doubt this is damp as CW has said screws rust over time and the whole idea of having a gap behind the skirting ie break in the floor and wall plaster is to allow for condensation build up to evaporate, i would just renew

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Yes will just renew. Thanks!