Water Damage & Restoration: Protect Your Home At Earliest Sign With Basic Construction Supplies

Construction Supplies such as portable heaters and blowers can be indispensible tools that ameliorate water damage that occurs inside the home. Too many times homeowners think of water damage as only occurring in flood prone areas or as a result of a flooding event from heavy rains. Yet water damage requiring basic construction supplies to restore drywall or floors to their original condition occurs just as frequently (if not more so) due to a leaky or burst pipe. Regardless of cause, it is essential to treat and restore water damaged property to its original condition so that further deterioration does not result.

Treating Water Damage: Superficial to Second Layers

From best to worst case scenarios, treating water damaged floors, walls, ceilings, and carpets can usually be done effectively with construction supplies either on hand or from your local home repair store. Superficial water damage is the easiest to treat. Like the word implies, the damage only affects the surface of a wall, floor board or carpet and has not penetrated deeper into the structure. In cases of superficial water damage, a Ventec Blower from Equip Supply can easily evaporate any moisture that is present. Some homeowners also use a portable heater from DeWalt (see Heater section) in combination with the blower to facilitate an even faster dry time.

A second level of water damage may necessitate replacing carpet or portions of carpet, drywall and/or baseboards to eliminate the prospect of mold growth. Mold growth can occur from moisture trapped below the surface that is inaccessible to blowers or heaters. If water damage has gone undetected for a period of time or is due to significant flooding, you may need to replace small portions of drywall, carpet or floor boards to prevent mold from growing. Again, any water damaged area of the home that is below the surface should be restored as soon as it is detected.

Treating Water Damage Occurring in Structural Areas

While mold can develop in superficial areas, it can often times be removed if it is treated and restored early. More substantial construction supplies will be needed, however, if water has penetrated subflooring, interior walls, insulation, and ceiling structures. Black mold is a dangerous by-product of heavy flooding events. When it begins to grow, it continues unabated until the affected areas have been cut away and replaced with healthy wood, insulation and drywall.

Depending on severity of the water damage, sometimes entire walls need to be reconstructed. The sooner this restoration occurs, the less likelihood mold will contaminate other areas nearby, or worse, extend from an interior wall to the exterior of the home or vice versa. In sum, treating any water damaged area that occurs either inside the home or to exterior walls as quickly and thoroughly as possible is critical in preventing further damage to your home investment.