Flooring??? Humid air rising up through floorboards...mould

[actiongirl5]

Hi,

I have just had to throw out our really nice sofa we purchased from Ikea only a few years ago. The reason for this is because I discovered white and yellow mould spores on the bottom edge of the sofa arm rest. Upon further investigation I found the sofa to be riddled with mould spores.....to the point where the time invested to try and get rid of it would not have been worth it. On top the sofa was immaculate and not issues but as soon as you took the cushions off and seat pads the fun and games really started.

We have also checked the second sofa in the room, there was no signs of mould but a very musty smell coming from under the cushions. At floor level even the wool carpet smell very fusty. We solved some damp issues in the bay window area a few years ago and we thought that was the end of it all. We have wooden floor boards in the living room and from what I can tell damp air is coming up through the floor and into the room. We are running a dehumidifier and airing the room but it still persists.

I was thinking of taking up the carpet which I have always hated and putting down some laminate flooring to prevent so much moisture from the soil beneath the house entering the room. Is sealing the floor a good idea and what would you recommend underlay wise for the laminate. I am not sure if anyone else has experienced this or has any thoughts, but we dare not buy another sofa until we getting the rising humid air sorted out.

[Someone-Else]

Only thinking out loud, but would that not be curing the effect and not the cause?

Have you got air bricks / vents at the front and back of your house (To let air blow through) if you have vents are they blocked?

[Rorschach]

How did you identify the mould?

[dewaltdisney]

I think you need some professional help to identify the cause here. Is it possible that you have a water leak that is saturating the ground? As we have had a long dry summer it is unlikely this damp is leeching up from the water table and I would be inclined to think that you may have a leaky water pipe that is causing this. You really need an expert to check this for you but it is difficult to advise you who to go to for fear that you might be exploited. I think my advice would be to contact your local authority Environmental Health Officers and ask them to check out the potential health hazard. I am sure you will get some well informed advice on which way to go.

DWD