Flood Restoration Tasks

By necessity a flood restoration is going to be a long process simply for the time it will take to dry everything out. For this reason it is important to be organized through the entire restoration process so that the job continues to move forward and not be allowed to get caught up in unnecessary delays.

There are some basic tips that you should follow immediately following a flood. These are the sorts of things you can take care of before help arrives.

• Identify where the water is coming from and, if possible, stop it.
  
• If you can, reduce the heat inside the property to below 65 degrees to reduce the possibility of mold or mildew from taking hold.
  
• Make sure all of the electrical appliances in the home are switched off.
  
• Get as much of the furniture as you can up out of the water.
  
• Remove as much of the water from the property as you can.
  
• Remove all objects off the floor, including rugs and carpets if possible.
  
• Stay clear of sagging ceilings because there is a risk it will collapse.

A house that has suffered a flood will take some time to get back in order. The job should be left to the flood water restoration experts, although the tasks laid out above should help get them off to a fast start.

A big problem with cleaning up after a flood is that the flood water may have contained toxic chemicals and so there are very real health risks involved with working in the aftermath. What may be dealt with here is gray water or sewage. The flood restoration professionals will not enter the site unless wearing proper protective clothing such as overalls, breathing apparatus and gloves. You should be taking the same precautions.

Although you may have begun the process of water removal, your flood restoration expert will start their work by removing the remainder of the water. This is a vital first step because the sooner that task is completed the less chance toxic mold will have to grow. Industrial wet vacuums, whole house dehumidifiers and drying chemicals are all part of the water restoration professional’s arsenal. Opening all the doors and windows to let fresh air in won’t hurt either.

It will be necessary to remove all valuables and personal objects from the home so that they can either be stored or restored. You clothing will also have to be removed and cleaned because there is little chance that it will have gotten through the incident without getting damp. Where there is dampness, mildew is likely to follow.

The types of things you can expect to get done by a flood water restoration expert includes:

• Emergency water removal
• Drying of structural materials such as supports, beams, walls, cavities, ceilings and floors.
• Cleaning and sealing contaminated ducting.
• Mold remediation.
• Carpet removal, restoration and reinstallation.
• Upholstery and fabric restoration.
• Odor removal if necessary.
• They should also be able to identify and prevent further problems that may not be immediately apparent.

Your job as the homeowner is to oversee the entire restoration project and ensure that the water restoration carries on without any pause or delay. It is in your best interests to get the job done as quickly as possible so that you can get your life back to normal. If there are delays in the drying stage then you may be in for even greater damage than there would otherwise have been.

Ceiling Water Damage Repair

Water damage to the ceiling is the kind of problem that can begin as a minor inconvenience only to grow into a major problem if left unchecked. It is often caused by a leaking roof or eating plumbing from upstairs bathrooms. You find that water slowly runs along the rafters or down beams to the surface of the drywall ceiling and then becomes visible through a seam or corner. You might first notice a slight yellow or brown discoloration on the surface of the ceiling.

Changing the ceiling after damage is not quite as daunting a task as you may first imagine it to be. It may be a little more difficult than changing a wall after damage but only because gravity will be adding complexity to the task. In this case it is possible to make minor repairs to fix a damaged ceiling without fear of the whole thing falling on your head. Any major repairs should be made by a professional.

The moment you notice any change in color to the ceiling is the first moment that you should start investigating either the ceiling itself or the space behind the ceiling. You don't want to leave the ceiling water damage, which may only be a small problem when you first notice it, because if you ignore it, it will grow to become a major problem, perhaps even a disaster if the damage becomes so bad ceiling caves in.

The first step to take in performing a ceiling water damage repair is to find the leak and fix it. Once the leak is fixed you will have to get in behind the ceiling to assess the damage that the water has caused. This might involve removing the insulation to let it dry out. If you have caught it early enough it may be possible that you won't have to replace the ceiling drywall, it may simply need to be re-fastened, taped and plastered.

You may not be so lucky and the damage to the ceiling might mean it needs to be replaced. In this case the repair job may be similar to that of a regular drywall repair. This means cutting out the part of the drywall that is damaged, drying out the space behind the ceiling and then replacing it with a new piece of drywall. The important part of the repair is to make sure that everything behind the ceiling is completely dry. This includes the insulation and the beams and rafters in the roof.

In a lot of cases with a water damaged ceiling it won't be possible to clean the brown or yellow water stains without taking any further action. Instead you will have to use a stain sealer which is an oil based stain covering paint. Once the paint is dry complete the drywall replacement and then apply a couple more coats of ceiling paint.

All of these ceiling water damage repair tips assume that you already have a lot of experience in performing home handyman tasks. If this is not the case your best solution is to call in a water damage professional who will be better equipped to deal with the problem properly.

More information about water damage.

Hardwood Floor Water Damage
Drywall Water Damage
Water Damage Restoration For Floors and Walls

Hardwood Floor Water Damage

Repairing water damage on a hardwood floor is a task that may be necessary from time to time on a small scale with intermittent spillages or minor leaks. Alternatively you may be faced with major water damage following flood or a large body of water that has saturated your hardwood floorboards.

Repairing Minor Hardwood Floor Water Damage

If you have discovered a minor leak that has allowed water to seep onto your hardwood floorboards, there may be a single spot that has become damp and discoloured compared to the rest of your floor. In this case there are some simple steps that you can take to repair the hardwood floor water damage.

Firstly, make sure you have identified the source of the water damage and fixed it completely. Any later repair work will be for nothing if you do not seal the leak or repair the pipes from where the water is coming.

Next, you may be faced with a spot that is discoloured and possibly swollen and cracked. The wood grain has become affected by the water damage and has reacted. Dry out the affected area until it is completely dry before beginning any restoration work on it.

Begin by sanding back the affected area starting with a coarse sandpaper before moving back to a finer grit. Once the area has been sanded back and the stain edges are smooth treat the area with a wood sealant that matches the rest of the floor. Following one coat of sealant it may be necessary to sand it back before adding another coat.

Some kind of blending process may have to be done so that the damaged area winds up looking the same as the original floor.

Major Hardwood Floor Water Damage Repair

When a lot of moisture has been absorbed by a hardwood floor the most common result is that the wood expands. When the boards expand they become wider and one of two things might happen, you might have a buckled floor or you may have a floor that is cupped. In either case you are left with a seriously uneven floor.

In order to restore the water damaged hardwood floor without having to pull up the entire floor and replace it you can use a process known as
desiccant dehumidification. This is carried out by bringing in a desiccant dehumidifier which if very effective at reducing the humidity level in the air. The desiccant dehumidifier can be run under sealed conditions to completely remove the moisture from the area. In this case you are removing moisture from the floorboards.

Running a dehumidifier for an extended period will help to reduce the swollen floorboards and counteract the cupping or buckling that has taken place. As the moisture is drawn out of the air it will also be drawn out of the hardwood floorboards and they will shrink back to their normal size. Effectively you want the top surface of the floorboards and the bottom surface to be balanced in moisture content.

An illustration of a cupped wood floor

Once the floor has been properly dried and the moisture is removed from the surrounding area, the floor can be sanded back and refinished so that it is returned to its original smoothness again.
If the hardwood floor has become so buckled that it has come completely away from the subfloor to which it was attached it may be necessary to call in a hardwood floor installer to reattach the planks.

In all cases when dealing with repairing hardwood floor water damage the key to a successful restoration is to completely remove the moisture that caused the original damage in the first place. No matter how carefully you carry out your restoration, if you haven’t fixed the origin of the water the problem will return and cost you even more of both your time and money.

Here are some more water damage restoration articles

Water Damage Restoration for Floors and Walls

Drywall Water Damage

Basement Water Damage

Deodorizing A Water Damaged Carpet

Drywall Water Damage

The way you deal with water damage to your drywall walls will depend largely on a number of different factors. The first thing that must be determined is the amount of water involved in the damage, the more water damage there is affecting the drywall the greater will be the repair required.

The sort of water involved in the drywall water damage will also play a big part in the action you will be required to take. There are three standards that measure the cleanliness of the water that has invaded your home: black, grey and clear.

Black water is highly polluted water, usually involving sewage contamination but can also contain pesticides or toxic organic substances. If your drywall is affected by black water you will have to completely replace the wall and very likely the supporting structure underneath as well.

Gray water can carry microorganisms that are harmful to the health, possibly causing illness. Gray water may come from dishwashers, washing machines or sump pump failures. Walls that are affected by gray water can be treated without having to resort to complete wall removal.

Clear water damage usually originates from leaky pipes, rainwater or sink overflows that do not contain contaminates. Drywall water damage that involves clear water can be treated without having to remove the drywall.

Drywall Water Damage Repair

Drywall that has been affected by water damage will become quite noticeable very quickly because the paper backing tends to bubble or wrinkle. It should be repaired after first identifying the cause of the initial water damage. There’s no point in repairing a water damaged drywall without fixing the source of the leak because within a month or two you’ll find yourself back exactly where you started.

If the water damage is not extensive you should simply cut out the affected area of drywall in a square or rectangle shape. Neatness counts at this point because you are going to be replacing the damaged drywall with a new piece.

Once the water damaged drywall piece is removed check the wall cavity for signs of water or, if there is insulation in the wall, test the insulation to see if it is wet. If the insulation proves to be wet, you will have to remove and replace the insulation as well, which may require a larger hole.

Once you have satisfied yourself that the wall cavity is dry, cut a replacement piece of drywall so that it is a snug fit. It may be necessary to install a backing piece if timber behind the drywall hole, screwing it to existing studs to support the new piece. Secure the new piece of drywall in place and tape the seams applying plenty of plaster over the top. Allow the plaster to dry before sanding back and finishing it to match the rest of the wall.

More Water Damage Articles

Basement Water Damage
Deodorize A Water Damaged Carpet
Repair A Water Damaged Carpet
Conduct Your Own Water Damage Restoration