seemingly small moisture issues can cause big problems

Posted on: 19 March 2018

Water damage inside your home, whether from a broken water line or from outside water intrusion and flooding, can leave your home with water damage on many different levels. Flooding of your basement can leave the entire floor area and lower part of the drywall damaged and likely require replacement. But a water leak from the roof can cause damage down an entire wall and onto the section of floor below. Whatever the damage, here are some tips to help you repair and restore your home's most commonly damaged wood surfaces. 

Baseboards

If the baseboards around the perimeter of a room in your home have become damaged by water, the chances are great that the same water damaged the drywall of the room. For this reason, you will need to remove the baseboards from the drywall before you can replace the damaged drywall. Place the baseboards on a flat surface outside or in another dry area inside your home so they can dry out properly and retain their flat form.

If any mold growth has begun to form on the front or back of the baseboards, use a vinegar and water solution to wipe the mold from the surface. Combine equal parts white vinegar and water and use a cloth or sponge to clean the mold.

If the wood has not been painted and the mold has grown into the grain of the wood, you can use a wood bleach to remove the mold stain from the interior of the wood grain. You can find wood bleach, or oxalic acid, at most home improvement stores, which will remove the mold discoloration but also any wood stain.

Wood Flooring

Wood flooring inside your home can also receive damage after flooding. Immediately remove any standing water with a shop vacuum or other suction device and begin to dry out the surfaces with a heavy-duty area fan.

If any of the floorboards have become warped, carefully remove them from the floor and place them on a flat surface with a fan directed on them to speed up the drying process. Removing several floor boards will also help you dry the space below the flooring, which can become saturated from the water damage.

If the wood flooring has a floor or basement below it, check the room's ceiling below the damage to remove any wet drywall, which will expose the interior of the space and allow you to more easily dry it out from below with the use of additional fans.

When the flooring has been restored to its correct moisture levels, you can replace the removed floorboards. Any permanently warped floorboards will need to be replaced or repaired.