The Great Flood: How to Save Floors from Excessive Water Damage
Flooding has been a big problem of late in the Nashville and Middle Tennessee area. Naturally, this means big problems for a lot of the area’s residents, as flooding can do some serious damage to your home or office if it gets out of hand. Luckily that hasn’t been the case, but it might have you thinking about what you would do if you were ever in that kind of situation. The first thing is to make sure you, your loved ones, and anything of great value is safe. Once that is done, however, you might notice that the first thing in your home or office that will unquestionably see the majority of the damage is the flooring. Regardless of the kind of flooring – whether it be oak hardwood flooring, commercial or residential carpeting, or even something with a reputation for being able to deal with some water, such as laminate plank flooring – it will be damaged, severely. Depending on the extent of the damage, it might be that you need to start over entirely, a particularly frustrating prospect. If it does come down to that, luckily the professionals here at Ozburn-Hessey will be able to help you every step of the way in getting you a floor you love.
For Hardwoods, Laminate, and Vinyl, Preventative Measures Are Still the Best
Taking steps to prevent serious damage to your floors before the flooding (or regular heavy rain) begins is the best way to ensure the damage will be minimal. Unfortunately, and while there have been a lot of technological improvements in this area, this isn’t really a feasible option for those that have residential carpets. If you own carpet and the rains are a-falling and the water level is a-rising, it’s probably best to contact the professionals here at Ozburn-Hessey. For everyone else, though, this means a regular treatment with special floor coatings. There are different ones depending on what kind of floor you have, so make sure whatever one you use is the right one for your floor.
Speed is the Key to Prevent Further Damage
Once the damage has been done, the first 24 hours are the key. Do everything you can to remove all of the objects that are on top of the flooring. Hit it with a wet-vac to remove the standing water, and plug in a dehumidifier to help the evaporation process. One of the main things you will need to check during this period is if the subflooring (the mats and other material underneath) the has been damaged. Water can seep into it, and if left unchecked, it will leave a musty odor and other problems, such as molding. This is more of a problem with traditional hardwoods than with vinyl or laminate plank flooring, since those materials are layered in ways that traditional materials are not. Once the offending water has been removed, the next step is to take stock of your situation. If the moisture doesn’t seem like it will be an ongoing concern, then you will probably want to look at sanding away any imperfections and refinishing your floors.
Flooding is one of the scariest things that can happen in your life, but it doesn’t have to be the worst. Doing what you can to limit the damage ahead of time is key, but the real trick to saving your floors after a lot of water is to act as quickly as possible. And if you do not get there in time, well, there’s always the professionals here at Ozburn-Hessey to help you pick out and install something you are going to love.