Drying and Repairing Walls
Walls must be dry from the inside out before restoration, repainting or recovering can begin. Even when walls feel dry to the touch, the material inside the wall may be wet. Drying the inside of the walls may take weeks or even months. The total drying time will depend partially on the amount of dry air that can circulate through the studding and different wall materials.
Plaster and paneling can often be saved,but air circulating in the wall cavities to dry the studs and sills is still needed. Wallboard soaked by dirty floodwater will need to be replaced. If the wallboard was damaged by clean rainwater, cutting a 4 to 12-inch-high section from the bottom and top of walls is the recommended step. This will create a "chimney effect" to speed up drying time.
Guidelines for Wall Coverings and Insulation
Removal of drywall, laminated paneling and plaster at least to the flood level is standard procedure. Warping above the water level often occurs with drywall and paneling, so more may need to be removed.
Plaster walls can sometimes be adequately drained by removing the baseboard and breaking out plaster and lath at the bottom of the wall. Later the baseboard can cover the opening.
Some paneling may be salvaged if allowed to dry slowly. Removing the baseboard from paneled walls and prying off the individual sheets is the usual remedy. Propping them against the wall to dry is best. We don't allow them to dry in sunlight, which may cause warping.
Removal of vinyl-covered wallpaper is necessary. It will restrict drying within flood-damaged walls.
Water-soaked insulation should be removed and replaced. It can hold water for months, causing odor and decay problems. While wet it has little insulation value.
Wwainscoting should be considered as a restoration option if flooding is no higher than 3 feet above the floor.
Patching Plaster
No attempt to repair plaster should be made until walls and inner walls (studding and insulation) are completely dry. If walls were flooded extensively, we may need to wait four to six weeks, or even several months, before attempting repairs.
Drywall compound is the preferred method for patching plaster. It comes in a variety of types with different drying times, shrinkage characteristics and consistencies.
Repairing Exterior Siding
We remove a small section of siding to check conditions on the reverse side. If crevasses are filled with silt,We remove siding to water level and clean. Silt left in crevasses will trap moisture, causing mold, decay and peeling paint.
We also check for cracked or warped siding. If only a few boards are warped or cracked, we will replace them individually.
Checking Sheathing
Sheathing is the material between the studding and finish siding. Depending upon the type of sheathing, replacement may or may not be necessary.
Wooden boards should dry slowly and some will warp.We re-nail warped areas after they dry and replace those that are too badly warped to salvage.
Sheathing board is usually absorbent and difficult to dry.We replace any that is disintegrating or separating.
Plywood will probably separate and must be replaced. Marine plywood will not warp or separate, but is generally considered too expensive to use in residential construction unless the building is subject to frequent flooding. |
