Water Damage London
Some things are not obvious or intuitive about water damage.
For example, most people easily realise that water seeks the lowest available level and therefore will seep into any crack or opening below the flood level. But did you know that water can also travel up a wall during a flood?
That’s right, water may have literally climbed your walls above even the high point, because certain common building materials can “wick” water upwards above even the flood waters.
If you live in a flood-prone area, these tips will help you not only recover from your current flood damage but they can also help prevent more destruction if there comes another flood in your future. There are many things to learn about structural water damage restoration, but below are a few major tips to get you started.
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As mentioned, flood water can crawl upwards through conventional wall materials and certain types of insulation.
You will often have to reinstall wall insulation to the full height of the walls in the flooded area. Replace with sprayed polyurethane foam insulation, which is a much more water damage-resistant than standard fibreglass insulation. Consider replacing wall trim and corner boards with plastic or wood-plastic composite materials.
Gypsum-based wallboard is usually able to dry thoroughly and often requires only cosmetic restoration such as paint. If you do replace it anyway, gypsum wallboard is also available with a non-paper “skin” which reduces the potential for mould formation.
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Remove as much of the water logged flooring materials as you can, especially carpeting and rugs.
Depending on what caused your water damage these materials may be salvageable with air drying, but most often they are not and should be disposed of quickly before getting the chance to spawn mould. Floating vinyl flooring with underneath padding will absorb water and trap it underneath. It might well need to be removed in order to dry. The vinyl flooring can be reused if it is not too damaged during removal. Ceramic and stone tiling absorb almost no water and avoid water damage quite well. The biggest problem is usually with wood and plywood sub-flooring which can slowly lead to long-term structural problems like rot if not repaired.
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If your water damage seems overwhelming, or if you’ve found all the above issues and more in your home or business, you might consult a professional water damage restoration specialist.