Water damage repair in Cary, NC

Repairs come after drying, not before

The most expensive mistake in water damage is rebuilding too soon. New drywall over a stud that still reads wet, or new flooring over a damp subfloor, seals the moisture in. Mold grows on the back of the new board, the flooring cups, and the job is done twice. Repairs start when the drying log shows every material back at the dry standard, and not on a calendar date.

Drywall and ceilings

Most water damage repair is drywall. Where the lower part of a wall was removed, the cut is usually made straight across at a consistent height, often two or four feet up, so full-width sheets go back in with a single seam. New board is hung, taped, finished in several coats and sanded smooth. In areas likely to see water again, such as laundry rooms and the bottom of basement walls, mold-resistant board with a fiberglass facing instead of paper is worth the small extra cost. Ceiling repairs follow the same process overhead, with the added step of checking the joists and insulation above before closing it.

Matching texture and paint

A repair disappears when the texture and sheen match the wall around it. Smooth walls are skim-coated and sanded; orange peel and knockdown are sprayed and, for knockdown, flattened with a trowel to the same pattern. Water stains that remain on surfaces that were dried rather than replaced need a stain-blocking primer first, because the tannins and minerals in a water stain bleed straight through ordinary latex paint. Paint is usually carried to the nearest corner or break so the color change is not visible.

Flooring after water damage

Each type of flooring recovers differently:

• Hardwood is often saved by drying, then sanded and refinished once it settles. Boards that stay buckled or split are replaced and woven in.
• Laminate has a fiberboard core that swells at the edges and does not shrink back, so wet laminate is usually replaced.
• Luxury vinyl plank is waterproof itself, but it traps water underneath. Click-together planks are taken up so the subfloor can dry, and can often be reinstalled.
• Carpet gets new padding, and new carpet if it delaminated or was contaminated.
• Tile usually survives, but the subfloor and grout around it are checked.

Cabinets, vanities and trim

Most kitchen and bathroom cabinets have particleboard or fiberboard bases that swell permanently once soaked. Sometimes only the toe kick and bottom panel need replacing; sometimes the whole base cabinet does. Countertops can usually be lifted and reused. Baseboards and door casings that were pulled for drying are reinstalled if they are solid wood and undamaged, or replaced and painted to match.

Insulation and what is inside the wall

Before a wall is closed, everything inside it gets a look: wet insulation is replaced, wiring and outlets that sat in water are checked by an electrician, and the studs and bottom plate are confirmed dry and free of mold. This is also the moment to fix whatever caused the damage for good, such as rerouting a supply line away from an exterior wall where it froze.

Older houses: lead paint and asbestos

In houses built before 1978, painted trim and walls may contain lead paint, and federal rules require certified renovators for work that disturbs it. Some drywall joint compound, textured ceilings and older flooring from before the 1980s can contain asbestos. Testing first keeps an ordinary repair from becoming an exposure problem, and it is quick to arrange.

One crew from drying to finish

Hiring the same company for drying and repair avoids a gap between the two, and the crew that dried the house knows exactly which materials were affected. If you prefer your own contractor for the rebuild, the drying records and moisture map tell them where the damage ended. Larger repairs in North Carolina must be done by a licensed general contractor, so ask about the license on bigger jobs. If the damage came from a frozen or failed line, the burst pipe page explains the plumbing side.