Do You Need To Remove Wood Floors After Flood

Wood is specifically susceptible to mold growth so it is important that you ensure that the floor and the sub floor are completely dry.

Do you need to remove wood floors after flood.

The first 24 hours are critical and the longer the wood is in contact with water the worse the damage will be. You can use a combination of surface drying and air circulation to help remove moisture from the wood. Drying out your home after a flood the sooner you can dry out your home after a flood the better. Wood wall studs paneling wood floors and solid wood doors can usually be cleaned up disinfected of mold and toxins and allowed to dry naturally.

Some restoration companies can accelerate drying time by forcing air through the fluted underside of hardwood floorboards. Wood wall paneling should be pried away from the wall along the base so air can circulate behind it. However equipped with a dehumidifier and some fans it is easier than you think. Sand water damaged wood flooring.

If floors have cupped popped or cracked it may be an indication that the sub floor has experienced water damage as well. Luckily if you can dry your wood floors they can often be saved. There are several types of hardwood flooring including engineered wood floors strip wood floors and laminate wood floors. Laminate wood floors are usually replaced after a flood as they do not react well to excessive moisture.

This way you can minimize any mold problems and perhaps even prevent mold growing at all. This is called cupping heavy sanding with a drum or orbital sander can actually take down some minor high areas. Sudden drying could cause cracking or splitting. After severe water damage it is likely that wood floors will have to be replaced.

Wood floors flood damage cleanup for wooden floors should be dried gradually. To be clear we are not talking about your waterline breaking and flooding out your house we are talking about a hurricane too much water from upstream if you live on a river or some other natural disaster running contaminated water through your house. After drying a wood floor you may have some concave or convex floorboards. Keep this process going until moisture is gone.

The key is to isolate the area to use the dehumidifier followed by circulating air using the fans. The first thing to do is to remove any excess water. Remove hardwood floor boards to prevent buckling. Drying subfloor after flood damage can seem like a daunting task.

Then they can be re used. Speed is the key. The amount of water and moisture present. However heavily cupped wood cannot be sanded down flat.

So if you have a flood or water damage or even just a spill on your hardwood flooring you ll want to remove the water and dry your floors as quickly as possible. Hollow core doors will need to be removed and replaced.