Flood Damage Cleanup And The Floor

One of the most damaged areas in the home after a flood is the flooring. This includes everything on the floor, including subfloor materials, tiles, linoleum, wood parquet and carpets. Unless proper flood damage cleanup is performed, big losses will be incurred by the owner and proper restoration of the floor would not be achieved.

Floor coverings come in different varieties and nature of materials. These are all placed on top of a subflooring, which also can be made from different materials. Subflooring that was submerged for a long time in floodwaters may not be ably protected by the floor covering. However, if the flood duration is only short, a linoleum or vinyl floor covering can prevent damage to the subfloor material. During flood damage cleanup, it would be best to check the condition of the subfloors and determine its structural integrity.

Subfloors that are made of stone or cement may be able to withstand floodwaters, but subfloors made of plywood or hardwood may not be as durable, particularly if it has been soaked in floodwater for a long time. If this is the case, the vinyl or linoleum floor covering should be removed and the subfloors dried by subjecting to air blowers or air movers. After flood damage cleanup and drying has been completed, check for areas of the subfloor that has detached or warped. These sections may need replacement.

Floors with ceramic tiles are more durable to floods than vinyl or linoleum. There may be cases though that a loose tile is encountered during flood damage cleanup. If the loose tile can be pried off, do so very carefully to prevent damage. Clean the subfloor then allow drying completely before trying to re-cement. When removing floor coverings such as vinyl or linoleum, some areas may crack or break. Use an appropriate solvent to loosen the adhesives used to install the floor coverings so less damage will be made when you try to remove them during flood damage cleanup. Use a heat lamp or propane torch to make the covering more malleable and less brittle to minimize damage during removal.

However, some adhesives used may be waterproof and would be difficult to remove without any damage. Carefully remove all sheets of linoleum or vinyl to get to the sub-floor. Clean this thoroughly and allow drying before re-attaching or re-cementing the linoleum or vinyl tiles. It may take as long as 6 weeks for the floors to completely dry, but using air movers can shorten this a bit.

Vinyl-covered floors that were not soaked under floodwaters for a long time may not be replaced. However, some blisters may form on the surface when the flooring has dried after flood damage cleanup. If these are encountered, puncture the blister with a nail or a needle then inject linoleum paste through the hole using a syringe. Flatten the vinyl or linoleum then hold down with bricks or something heavy.

During flood damage cleanup, the owner of the cleanup crew may encounter rugs and carpets that have been soaked in floodwater. Drying is important for flood-soiled carpets to prevent the proliferation of molds and mildew than can eventually damage the carpet or rug. Pull up flood-soaked rugs then hang them outside for cleaning and drying. Use pressurized water to remove dirt, grime and other debris from the rug or carpet. Use carpet shampoo dissolved in warm water and some disinfectant during cleaning. Use a soft brush for better dirt removal, and then rinse off with pressurized water. Hang the rug or carpet out in the sun to dry. Some carpets may be difficult to pull out so cleaning would have to be done on the floor. You will need to use a wet/dry vacuum cleaner as standard vacuum cleaners will not be able to extract floodwaters from the carpet and is not a good flood damage cleanup tool. Use air blowers to dry while maintaining proper air ventilation into the room.

Restoring the floor is a critical part of flood damage cleanup. Not only does it cover a wide area in the house, but it can also hamper proper movement for people, thus delaying the restoration of the home to make it habitable once more.

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