Flood Cuts and How They Help Storm Damage Recovery
When flooding rises inside your home, drywall immediately absorbs the highly contaminated water. Drywall components are gypsum plaster mixed with shredded cellulose, contained between thick layers of paper or fiberglass. It is highly porous, allowing moisture to wick up the sheets, causing swelling and crumbling of the gypsum board and saturation of any insulation. Fluid becomes trapped between drywall surfaces, exposing the framing of your home to a constant source of standing water that can adversely affect structural integrity. This water can profoundly increase the risk of mold and other pathogen growth and damage if unaddressed during flood cleanup. Initial flood damage mitigation and remediation steps often include flood cuts after preliminary standing water removal, which can seem extreme to homeowners experiencing significant storm disasters for the first time. Let us ease your mind by explaining the process and reasons behind making flood cuts as crucial cleanup strategies.
How We Make a Flood Cut
During assessment of your Georgetown flood damage cleanup scenario, IICRC-certified Lightspeed Restoration of Georgetown & Round Rock technicians determine where to locate flood cuts and perform the cutting and removal as follows:
-
Measuring up from the flooding line, they snap a chalk line at least 12 to 18 inches above the wet portion of drywall.
-
If the water line is lower than 30 inches, experts recommend chalking at 48 inches over the floor.
-
Similarly, removing a complete 8 feet of drywall in response to flooding deeper than 36 to 40 inches makes it easier to install full 4 feet sheets of drywall during eventual rebuilding.
-
Moisture detection tools and infrared imaging assist when deciding where to cut the drywall by indicating moisture levels behind even dry-looking surfaces.
-
Technicians accurately cut or saw along the chalk line at a depth of about 3/4 of the drywall’s thickness.
-
Workers use a drywall hammer to knock a hole beneath the chalking, then leverage it carefully to pull the affected drywall off and away from the studs precisely along the partial cut.
-
Crew members remove insulation previously installed between drywall surfaces.
Benefits of Flood Cuts
Cutting out deteriorating and contaminated drywall cleanly removes unrestorable materials, possibly containing chemicals, pathogens, and other hazardous substances. It also facilitates additional water removal and applied structural drying techniques, eliminating conditions that could lead to secondary damage by. Flood cuts followed by professional moisture mitigation strategies help avoid:
-
Mold and other pathogen growth and damage
-
Continuing wicking of moisture into wooden studs and other framing, resulting in swelling, distortions, and eventual loss of supportive strength
-
Corrosion and weakening of metal fasteners and supports
Reconstruction After Flood Cuts
When completed accurately, flood cuts prepare damaged areas for the swift reinstallation of new drywall, often in full sheets for structural sturdiness and ease of hanging, taping, and mudding. The stark open spaces left after flood cuts disappear quickly, ready for final touches like repainting to restore pre-flooding damage cleanup conditions.
Count on Lightspeed Restoration of Georgetown & Round Rock professionals to assess and explain your flood damage cleanup needs and perform essential tasks. Call us at (512) 240-9422. for a thorough evaluation and to explore your options.