HOME CLEAN-UP AND BUILDING DAMAGE
Check walls and foundations for damage. In spite of heavy damage to buildings caused by high water, much can be done to recover their usefulness. To make the best of it, repair structures as soon as possible.

Here are a few key points:

1. Check foundations and footings. Start from the bottom when investigating structural features. See that underlying material has not washed out any. Filling done under the footings should be with masonry or concrete, never with earth or gravel. Raise or brace up in position to make doors level.

2. Wash out the mud, dirt and debris as soon as you can. This should be done before the walls and floors dry out. Start from the top or upper limit of the flooding and work downward, using a hose and mop or washrag.

3. Dry out the building and the crawl space under the building. Open doors, windows and foundation vents for good ventilation. If electric power is available, use electric fans to improve circulation. Drying will take considerable time— several days or even weeks, if the weather is damp. Wet wood will decay; dry as soon as possible to reduce decay and mold.

4. Insulated frame walls may require special drying. Strips of siding, gypsum board or plaster can be removed from upper and lower portions of the walls to speed up drying of the studding and insulation.

5. See that walls are plumb. Check with a level or plumb-bob. Correct and brace walls to keep them vertical.

6. Repair and patch where necessary, on a temporary basis. Final repairs can be done later, in dry weather, when more time is available.

a. Concrete floors are easily patched, using a rich mix of mortar having no coarse aggregate, one to four mix.

b. Wooden floors will dry out slowly. Don’t build hot fires to rush drying. Try to prevent buckling and warping by driving more nails wherever flooring tends to lift or bulge. After fully drying, the surface can be planed level or sanded smooth and refinished.

WARPED AND DE-LAMINATED FLOORS

Some warped wood flooring is repairable and some is not. The extent of damage will depend partly on the kind of material used in the floor. Different woods react differently to dampness or flooding.

Plywood

Many homes have plywood subfloors. Plywood usually separates (de-laminates) from excessive moisture. This will make the covering material (carpet, sheet-flooring or tile) buckle. Consult a reliable contractor for this work. If only a small section of the subfloor has separated it can be replaced with new plywood. If the entire floor has de-laminated, either remove the entire subfloor and replace it, or re-nail new plywood over the old. The subfloor must be thoroughly dry before recovering it.

Hardwood

Badly-warped hardwood floors usually can’t be repaired. If the floor is obviously beyond repair, take it up and discard it. Allow subflooring to dry for several months before installing another floor over it.

To repair slightly warped hardwood floors:

1. Clean and dry the floor completely before attempting any repairs. This may take weeks or even months.

2. If the floor is still warped in places when it is dry, remove strips adjacent to the bulges, and plane them on their edges. This will give more space for the warped boards to flatten out in time. (If boards are tongue and groove, consult a carpenter about the special techniques necessary for this work.)

3. You may be able to draw some buckled flooring into place by nailing the bulged spots. Some humps may be removed by planing or sanding. Heavily planed or sanded floors, though unsuitable to be used uncovered, can serve as a base for new flooring or for carpet or resilient floor covering.

Pine

Warped wide pine board flooring will often flatten out after it has thoroughly dried. Clean the floor and let dry for several months. Using the furnace as much as possible during the drying time will speed up the process. Do not try to repair the floor until it is dry. If any boards are still slightly warped when dry, use the same technique as for warped hardwood floors (see Hardwood section).

When laying a new floor or subfloor, remove baseboards and moldings. The finished floor should be the same level as the original floor, if possible. If floor level changes, doors must be refitted to the new level. Consult a carpenter before attempting this work.

REPAIRING FLOODED TILE, LINOLEUM AND VINYL

FLOOR COVERINGS

Subfloor

Water coming up from below will cause the most damage to subfloor material. If a linoleum or vinyl floor covering is not under water many days, the floor covering may partially-protect the subfloor material. Long submersion, however, will loosen adhesives and warp subflooring If a plywood or hardwood subfloor is wet, you should probably remove the linoleum or vinyl and replace the subfloor material.

Removing Loosened Floor Coverings

Some floor coverings may crack or break when you try to loosen them. Contact a reputable dealer to find out what solvent will loosen adhesives with a minimal amount of damage to linoleum or vinyl. Heating with a heat lamp or propane torch may make the covering less brittle. How easily the covering can be lifted depends on the material and adhesive. If the adhesive is waterproof, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to remove the floor covering without considerable damage.

Tiles

If the floor has not been badly soaked, you may not need to replace the subfloor. It is possible to re-cement loosened tiles of any type. Be sure the floor is thoroughly dry before trying to re-cement.

Blisters may be left in the linoleum tiles after warped wooden flooring has dried. Carefully puncture each blister with a nail. With a hand syringe, force diluted linoleum paste through the hole, and weigh the linoleum down with bricks.

Sheet Linoleum or Vinyl

Water may have seeped under a loose section of vinyl or sheet linoleum. Carefully remove the entire sheet. Allow the floor to dry thoroughly before trying to re-cement the linoleum. Thorough drying may take as long as six weeks or more. Use a new sheet of lining felt before re-cementing the floor covering.

CLEANING FLOODED FLOORS AND WOODWORK

1. Shovel out the worst of the mud and silt before it dries. Use a hose if necessary.

2. Before the house has dried out, scrub floors and woodwork with a stiff brush, plenty of water, a detergent and a disinfectant. Remove mud and silt from corners, cracks and crevices.

3. Water may have accumulated in partitions and exterior walls. Drain these areas by removing baseboard and drilling holes between studs a few inches above the floor. You may need to remove sections of the wallboard or plaster so that wall studding and interior can dry thoroughly — a process that may take months.

4. Give floors a final thorough washing with a nonsudsing cleaning product.

Removing Surface Mildew

1. Heat the room to a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees F to help dry mildewed wood.

2. Scrub mildewed floors and woodwork with a mild alkali solution such as washing soda or tri-sodium phosphate (4 to 6 tablespoons to a gallon of water), available in paint and grocery stores. Or use a cloth dipped in hot water and a small amount of kerosene, or in a mixture of borax dissolved in hot water.

3. Rinse with clear water.

4. Wipe clean floors dry with old towels.

5. Allow wood to dry thoroughly.

6. Apply a mildew-resistant paint after woodwork has thoroughly dried.

7. Replace badly infected wood.

Bleaching Wood Stained By Mildew

1. Remove paint or varnish with paint remover with room well-ventilated.

2. Apply a solution of 3 tablespoons oxalic acid dissolved in a pint of water to the stains. (Oxalic acid crystals can be purchased at drug stores. Oxalic acid is poisonous. Label it clearly and keep out of children’s reach.)

3. Rinse with clear water. Wipe dry.

4. Dry thoroughly before refinishing. >Refinishing You may prefer to have floors professionally refinished. If you decide to do the work yourself:

1. Be sure floors and subfloors are thoroughly dry.

2. Sand the surface until it is clean and smooth. (Heavily-planed floors may never look good again, but they can serve as a base for carpeting, tile or sheet flooring.)

3. If floor is oak, apply a filler; then apply two coats of a penetrating floor seal or spar varnish. Sand between coats.

4. Apply varnish, following directions on can.

5. Treat fir flooring in the same way, but omit the filler.

DRYING WALLS

Inner Walls

Walls must dry from the inside out. The interior framing of walls should be allowed to dry thoroughly. Sometimes this process takes weeks or even months. To release water and mud from walls, remove top and bottom strips of siding on the outside of the building. Drill several holes in walls near the inside floor line. The total drying time will depend partially on the amount of dry air that can circulate through the studding (called "chimney action"). To provide for maximum chimney action, first consider the construction of the building.

Fire Stops or Cross Bracing

These are horizontal or diagonal braces between the vertical supports or studs. Cross bracing will prevent chimney action between the studding. However, cross bracing is not usually found in modern construction, except in twostory houses where it has been specified. To allow free air movement, remove interior or exterior wall covering wherever cross braces are located. To check for cross bracing or fire stops, extend a stiff wire into the wall cavity.

Insulation

Most types of insulation will be ruined if watersoaked. You will probably have to replace floodsoaked insulation.

1. Loose fill (such as vermiculite) will settle to the bottom of walls. As it dries it can be removed. If not removed, loose fill insulation will create odors and eventually cause decay of the studding.

2. Rock wool batting insulation will also bunch and settle. If it is absorbent it will create odors and could eventually cause studding decay.

3. Fiberglass batting will also bunch, but may not develop odors. Its insulating value will be greatly reduced if it is not thoroughly dry or if it settles and leaves areas at the top of walls unprotected.

4. Reflective surfaces (such as aluminum foil) will probably lose their reflective ability, thus decreasing their insulation effectiveness. The material itself should be undamaged.

Wall Coverings and Finishes

1. Plaster will take weeks or even months to dry, but may not be ruined by water. Old plaster, however, may disintegrate after being wet for a long time.

2. Dry wall (plaster board) will warp and disintegrate in water. Warping above the water level can also be expected Drywall that has been submerged must be replaced.

3. Laminated paneling (plywood, masonite) will separate and warp above and below the water level. The extent of damage will depend on how long the paneling was submerged and how quickly moisture is removed from the studding. Slow drying decreases the possibility of delamination.

Siding

1. Masonry will dry slowly but will be undamaged except for possible cracking or settling. Open the inside walls to prevent mildew and decay of wooden supports.

2. Lapped siding (wood, aluminum). Remove strips or sections to dry insulation and studding. The type of sheathing will determine drying rate. To prevent oxidation, make sure backing of aluminum siding is dry. Do not attemt to remove asbestos siding. Only a contractor licensed for this type material may do so.

Sheathing (Material Between Studding and Finish Siding)

1. Wooden boards will dry slowly and some will warp. If possible, re-nail warped areas before they dry. Replace those that are too badly warped to salvage.

2. Sheathing board is usually absorbent and will be difficult to dry. Some will disintegrate or separate and must be replaced.

3. Plywood will probably separate and must be replaced. Marine plywood will not warp or separate, but is generally considered too expensive to use in residential construction unless the building is subject to frequent flooding.

CLEANING INTERIOR WALLS

1. If walls have been flooded, hose them down, if possible, while they are still damp to remove most of the mud and silt.

2. Scrub with a sponge and a warm detergent solution or a commercial cleaner. Clean a small section of the wall at a time.

3. To get rid of the stench that often accompanies flooding, rinse with a solution of

2 tablespoons sodium hypochlorite laundry bleach (such as Purex or Clorox) to a gallon of water. Repeat the scrubbing and rinsing several times if necessary. Household disinfectants such as Lysol can also be used. Follow directions on container.

4. Work from the floor to the ceiling to prevent streaking. Rinse with an old bath towel wrung out in clear water. Overlap sections.

5. Clean the ceiling last.

6. Allow walls to dry thoroughly before repainting, repairing plaster, papering or applying any wall covering. Four to six weeks should be allowed as a minimum  time Total drying time will depend on weather conditions. You may need to remove baseboards or sections of the walls to dry interior studding and insulation (see Drying Walls section).

7. If mildew appears on walls, scrub with a solution of trisodium phosphate, a disinfectant or a solution of 1/2 cup bleach and 1/2 cup mild detergent in a gallon of warm water.

REPAIRING EXTERIOR SIDING

1. Strip drywall and insulation from inside wall. Allow studs to dry thoroughly before proceeding. (Insulation can cause skin irritation. Wear protective skin covering when working with it.) Clean electrical outlets and check wiring.

2. Check for silt deposits in crevasses behind siding. If crevasses are filled with silt, remove siding and clean out all silt. Silt left in crevasses will trap moisture,causing mold and peeling paint.

3. Check for cracked or warped siding. If only a few boards are warped or cracked, replace them individually. If all siding is warped, cover entire wall with new material.

You can install new siding over old, if there are no silt deposits behind old siding. This will also help improve insulation.

4. Cover or replace warped siding. It is easiest to cover warped horizontal beveled siding with new vertical siding, and to cover warped vertical siding with horizontal siding. Installing new siding over old will require trim work around doors and windows. Consult a carpenter for installation details. Siding is available in vinyl, aluminum and wood. Wood siding may be either natural or prefinished. Vinyl and aluminum siding are permanently colored.

CARE OF DOORS

Take the knobs from the doors and lay the doors on a level surface with wooden strips separating them to facilitate drying and to prevent warping and twisting out of shape. Veneered doors are very likely to be ruined by submersion, but some of them may be usable if they are piled properly and dried carefully to prevent separation.

WINDOWS

Get windows open as soon as possible to speed up drying of floor and walls. Raising wooden windows in a building that has been flooded may be difficult, since window frames and sashes will probably be water-soaked and swollen. Don’t try to pry windows open. Panes or sashes will probably break if you try to force them. Windows with metal frames should be opened. Adding wax to the tracks along which the windows move will protect them against corrosion. To open windows:

1. Remove side molding strips in front of inside sash. Molding strips or stops are usually nailed or screwed on, and can be easily removed.

2. Go outside the building and remove the sash by pushing one side gently toward the inside. Lift the sash inside.

3. Allow the sash to dry thoroughly before trying to fit it back into the window frame.

REPLACING BROKEN WINDOW PANES

1. If you need to remove the sash from the frame to make repairs, use a broad chisel or other prying tool to remove vertical strips holding sash in frame. Remove sash and place on a horizontal work surface.

2. If you plan to leave sash in place during repairs, chisel out old putty to free loose or broken panes. Wear gloves, and be careful to avoid being cut.

3. With a pair of needle-nose pliers or a screwdriver, remove glazier’s points (used in wooden sashes) or metal clips (used in metal sashes).

4. Scrape away putty sealing glass to groove on outside of pane.

Cut Glass

You can buy glass to fit, or cut your own from larger pieces you have available. Wear gloves and work on a solid surface covered with newspapers.

1. Measure glass, using a ruler or straight edge. Allow 1/16 inch space on each side.

2. Holding glass cutter between your first and second fingers with your thumb under the handle, make a smooth continuous stroke along the straight edge toward yourself.

3. To complete the break, hold small pieces firmly and bend quickly away from the cut. Tap larger pieces with cutter handle on opposite side over the scored line. For safety, wear gloves during this step.

Install Glass

1. Check pane size again. Make sure there is at least 1/16 inch clearance on all sides to assure a tight putty joint.

2. Remove panel. Apply glazing compound or putty along the groove holding the pane. (Use the kind of glazing compound recommended for your type of frame material.) Roll compound into 1/4 inch rope-like lengths. Place it in position.

3. Set pane in place. Press down gently on all sides of the pane to depress glazing compound into a flat film and to seal the exterior joint.

4. Insert glazier’s points (one centered on each end and two along each side in a wooden frame) or metal clips (in a metal frame) to secure the pane.

5. Apply glazing compound on interior side. First apply a generous amount of compound by drawing a loaded putty knife across the mullions (pane separators) on edges of sash at a right angle. Then draw the knife parallel to the frame to smooth the compound into a triangular bead. Size the bead so that glazing compound is not visible from the other side of the frame.

6. With the putty knife remove excess putty from the outside of the frame. Smooth remaining putty edge.

Clean Pane

1. Remove specks of glazing compound with turpentine or benzene.

2. Paint wooden trim when compound is dry.