A friend recently had a disaster occur at her house. She has a finished basement, and while away for a few days, she returned to standing water in her basement. Additionally, her roof leaked and has affected her plastered walls.
My friend had to first get rid of the water and then get to the root of the problem, causing water to seep through the foundation.
She did the obvious: used a wet-vac to suck up the water, rented huge fans and proceeded to move all the soaked stuff from the lower level out to the garage.
There seemed to be a difference of opinion about what could be saved, restored or ditched — from walls to furniture. She has been deferring to friends, but I would like to have your take on the recovery.
Signed, Friendly Soaking
Dear Friendly Soaking,
If the water level remained low, you can usually preserve most of the plaster. What you will want to do is to create airflow through the cavity of the wall. To create this “chimney” effect, remove the bottom and top 10 inches of plaster and let the drying process begin. It can take a couple of weeks for a thorough drying. Check for mold before repairing.
If the home also has gypsum wallboard, chances are that you will need to replace it. This is because of what is called a “wicking” effect. Gypsum absorbs high levels of water through the wall. If you simply cut the wallboard at the water line, chances are good that you would experience mold later. A mold test kit can help you determine if you have mold.
Windows and doors: If sliding or French doors are located in your friend’s home (Is this a daylight basement?), she will find that they typically do OK with modest flooding. If she is not sure whether to replace the window or door, check for warped or bent framing.
Check floor surface and sub-floor: Wood, carpet, slate and linoleum respond differently after being submerged in water. Wood sub-floors, for example, will swell and separate and will need to be replaced. You will want to have your carpeting checked, as carpet and backing can turn bad rather easily depending on the amount of water they were under as well as how effective the clean up was.
Have a professional inspect all electrical appliances: Corrosion is something that often happens weeks or months after the appliances/receptacles have been soaked. Corrosion can cause you to lose grounding, which in turn can cause electrocution. Watch the electrical panel for rusting.
Leather or cushioned furniture: Anything leather or cushioned should be discarded. Wood furniture should be given time to dry and then decide.
Kaile Warren of Windham is CEO/Founder of the national handyman franchise Rent-A-Husband. Kaile is also a national home improvement expert for the CBS Early Show, HGTV and Parade Magazine. When not on the road or working he spends his time teaching his newly adopted white shepherd, Maintenance, how-to ... Send your questions for Kaile to editor@themaineswitch.com.