Before

After

Repairing and Restoring Hardwood Floors After Storm Damage to a Seminole Home

After a heavy rainstorm with powerful winds forced water through the doorway of this Seminole home, much of the immediate flooring in this room was subjected to water damage. When the customer contacted our SERVPRO of Seminole & Central Gulf Beaches team, they had come to terms with tearing out and replacing the entire floor. Our experience in water mitigation and cleanup helped to reduce this intrusive action and get things back to normal faster than expected. Our team rapidly responds for:

• Water damage repairs
• Water removal services
• Leaking roof from storms
• Flood restoration

Cleaning Up Surface Water Damages

Before we could achieve the look of the After Photo, our responding technicians would need to remove the standing water in the room. Pooling on wood surfaces can become a considerable threat to the material, so our professionals began pulling up this standing water fast with squeegee wands, towels, mops, and wet vacuums.

We had to determine what parts of the hardwood floor needed to be removed and discarded during the initial mitigation stages. Because water quickly worked into the seams and planks of this building material, moisture meters were necessary to target the activity of migrating moisture. Our SERVPRO team established straight drylines marking the edges of the heaviest damages that made the plank unsalvageable. You can see the designated damaged area in the Before Photo.

Controlled Demolition and Drying

Because the customer believed all of the floor required removal and replacement, they were happy to learn that our SERVPRO of Seminole & Central Gulf Beaches team did not have to do this. We minimized build-back needs substantially by focusing on where pooling damaged the flooring the most and heavily drying the surrounding installed hardwood.

The Before Photo shows a couple of low-profile air movers positioning their warm air at the doorway that first experienced the water damage. While the planks were not as affected as where the water pooled a few feet into the room, focused drying efforts were still necessary. By removing the vapor barrier, off-camera dehumidification equipment can collect moisture in the environment for discarding. Some of the tools used here included:

• Drying mats
• Centrifugal air movers
• Axial air movers
• Low grain refrigerant dehumidifiers
• Portable electric heaters

Deodorization and Air Filtration

While the Before Photo can show where low-profile air movers were placed to force evaporation, what you do not see are the HEPA air filtration devices also running in the room. These units have multiple purposes to improve the environment but can best serve as a deterrent for mold activity. Dual-purpose units deployed like the hydroxyl generator can also address unpleasant odors common with storm damage.

Reconstruction and Repairs Needed

With the controlled cuts made to the flooring, replacing the plank was not a challenge. We matched the tongue and groove wood flooring installed here with new planks. With the straight, careful demolition made earlier in the restoration process, the new materials were quickly put in place, and the floor was complete again.