Hints & Tips

flooded floor repair

Flooded Recently? Here’s Some Tips for your Flooded Floor..

Unfortunately, Christmas 2015 didn’t bring much Festive spirit to businesses and home owners across the UK. With huge floods across the country, hundreds of people were forced to leave their homes to find alternative accommodation for the cold Winter. It may not be in the news any more, however, the aftermath still remains with those affected.

Getting back on your feet after a natural disaster can be difficult, especially if your home has been badly damaged.

With America’s ‘Storm Jonas‘ crossing it’s way from the Atlantic to the UK, we need to prepare for potential floods once again, even if it’s severity has decreased.

How can you saviour different wooden materials if a flood were to cause damage? Read our tips below and then could help you deal with the outcome ‘Storm Jonas’ has on your area.

Move electricals away from the flooded area

It may seem simple but sometimes in the panic it is forgotten. Keeping electricals in a flooded area is yet another accident waiting to happen. If your home is full of electricals that are near the affected area, make sure you store them elsewhere for the time being. Not only will get get in the way, but electrics and water can create massive health and safety issues, so tackle this problem first.

Remove remaining furniture

When returning back to your property after a flooding, it’s vital that you clear out the rooms so you can identify which area has the most damage. When wooden flooring absorbs water, problems can develop if it is left for too long, so don’t hesitate to return to your property immediately so you can remove items.

Contact your home insurance company

If your belongings have been damaged beyond repair, insurance companies can process a loss adjust claim immediately. This should be done sooner rather than later because it can take time for them to process the details correctly, especially if hundreds of people have the same issue after a flood has taken place.

Begin drying out your wooden flooring

It’s vital to get to work on this as soon as possible so that mould doesn’t begin to grow in the area. Once mould has developed in a property, it can cause many health issues and can become harder to tackle if neglected. Make sure you use any materials such as towels to soak up the majority of water and manually drying the area will help you in the next steps.

Remove floor boards to access more of damage

When there is damp in an area, a property can begin to smell musty and extremely unpleasant. To prevent this, you will need to remove the floorboards so you can apply clean water mixed with disinfectants which will help eliminate any bacteria and mould growth.

Remove ventilation or insulation

Stay away from using any fuel powered heaters. Unfortunately, doing this as an attempt to speed up the drying process could cause large cracks in the wood which will then need to be replaced. If there is a lot of moisture remaining, you can use a pump or draining system yet it is best to contact professionals about this. Also, make sure that you allow natural air through windows, doors on mild days to gradually dry the flooring. On the other hand, if you would prefer to use a humidifier, it’s essential you keep all windows and doors shut. If you have never used any ventilation or humidifying equipment, make sure you talk through your problem with the representative who can help advise you on the best techniques for that particular model.

Weigh down the flooring

Flooding can cause bumps, buckling and crowning in the solid wood. You won’t know the real state of the wood until you allow it to dry completely. Once it has, it may have straightened out, meaning you won’t have to organise a replacement.

Keep checking up on problematic areas

It’s important that even after you have managed to clean up the damage left behind by a flood that you keep checking up on areas affected. This way, you can re-evaluate the wood over time to make sure no problems are returning in the future. If you do need any flooring replacements or desire a strong, durable flooring that won’t be badly affected by floods, contact us today to find out how we can help you.

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