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The following is a brief insight to the type of Remedial problems found in buildings due to poor maintenance, bad building practice, neglect and age of the property, to name but a few. In almost all cases it advisable to seek a Specialist in the preservation industry to carry out the necessary repairs and treatments. Moisture from the ground rising by capillary action through bricks, masonry and mortars etc.. The problems arising from dampness in buildings are; deteriorating decorations from the damp the wall plaster. Wall plaster breaks down due to hygroscopic salt deposits. These hygroscopic salts are carried for the ground and are, in their essence moisture absorbing, this means the salts can absorb moisture from the surrounding atmosphere. Therefore even after the introduction of a damp course in almost all cases the surface of the walls are still damp. To remedy this the affected plaster to well past the last signs of dampness must be removed and an acceptable replastering specification used. Dampness is also a health hazard and the gateway for the germination of wood rotting fungi . There are many types of wood boring insects, generally in the UK the most common of these is Anobium puctatum (common furniture beetle). This beetle has a life cycle between 4 and 5 years and lives and feeds on soft woods such as the floor and roof timbers of our every day buildings. Another fairly common beetle is the Xestobium rufovillosum (death watch beetle). This beetle has a life cycle of up to 15 years and lives and feeds on hard wood timbers more commonly found in older buildings like churches, cottages, stately homes and the like, with oak / elm beams etc. Wood Rotting Fungi Wood decay in buildings can be initiated by the germination of spores or by the vegetative development of hyphae. Spores are always present in the atmosphere, hyphal invasion from an adjoining affected area can introduce decay . Decay can regenerate from fungal hyphae left in wood or in walls so long as the conditions are right for growth. Moisture is a key requirement and is necessary for both spore germination and hyphal colonization. The term dry rot is a misnomer in that it implies that there is decay without moisture. This is not true and it should be clarified that all wood decay requires a source of moisture. Essentially what is known as dry rot is the damage caused by one particular fungus Serpula lacrimans (True Dry Rot). A lesser destructive fungus but never the less still requires irradiation and commonly referred to as cellar rot, is Coniophora puteana (Wet rot)
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