Repairing Flood Damage in Bell Canyon

8/17/2022 (Permalink)

SERVPRO begins restoration by testing the moisture content and bringing down the humidity of the room.

SERVPRO's Process for Restoring Hardwood Floors after Flood Damage

Flooding around Bell Canyon can occur, just like in many other cities in our area. The water left afterward has been relatively clean, but some homes have had to deal with mud and other contaminants that make cleaning and restoration more difficult. Most damage still comes from the time water soaks into the property.

Restoring hardwood floors in Bell Canyon after flood damage takes the right equipment, training, and experience. SERVPRO has created a checklist based on our twenty-plus years in the restoration business to get the best possible results.

Cupping, warping, and buckling begin in floorboards after flooding. If we can quickly remove the water and dry the floorboards, the damage remains minor, and we can repair or eliminate it. Before we can begin any work, the moisture content of the wood must be twelve percent or less. We test this with specially designed moisture meters. If the content is higher, we have to lower it, or our efforts further damage the floorboards.

Our first step is to reduce the room's humidity to less than forty-five percent. SERVPRO technicians set dehumidifiers to remove moisture from the air and then set up air movers to carefully force warm, dry air underneath and over the floorboards.

Next, we bring the humidity to under twenty percent. At this point, further damage stops, and the chance for mold growth significantly drops. Once we test the humidity at fifteen percent, we bring in space heaters to raise the inside temperature to increase evaporation. If the varnish on the floor slows evaporation, we use a pin roller to pierce it in areas with little foot traffic and corners.

Now, we can repair and restore the floorboards. We can sand down minor damage for cupping and warping and then apply new varnish to even out the appearance. If the damage is significant, we replace the affected piece. Buckling is more severe than cupping or warping; it twists the wood and can even push other floorboards out of place. In most cases, we must replace the piece with a new one sanded down to match.

Restoring your wood floors after flooding is time-consuming, but it is much more cost-efficient than replacing them. For more information on what SERVPRO of Canoga Park / West Hills can do for your home, call us at (818) 998-1500.