Ventilating or sealing skirting boards to prevent rot

[zebu]

The basement of rooms of this 1850 terraced house has concrete floors. The carpet appears perfectly dry and sound. The skirting boards are rotting, typically for up to 5cm above the ground though in one corner the root extend up to 25 cm and there are bubbles and slots on the plaster higher up. The problem is mainly on the internal walls, no the external ones.

Having had different damp proof companies in with their meters, and noticed that they all detected damp in different places from each other, I'm not inclined to buy their treatments. Two other possibilities are:
- replace the the rotten bits of skirting board with something more rot-proof, and bore holes in it to let the damp escape into the room.
- put something impermeable behind and under the skirting boards, so that the damp does not escape, at least at the level of the skirting boards.

I'd be grateful for advice on which (if either) of these possibilities to do and what materials to use.

The skirting boards are very good in parts (at least 2 cm thick). I don't want to discard them.

Thanks

 

[r896neo]

You need to sort out the source of damp before wasting money on repairs and re-decorating.

 

[zebu]

I believe the damp is coming from the area of the floor just between the concrete and the wall, and possibly from the wall itself. The wall has had holes drilled in it, presumably for a chemical damp proof treatment twenty or so years ago. I intendeto cover the bit of wall that would be behind the skirting board with a cement that might hinder some of the damp from getting through..