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Message
House is flooded, need advice for wood floors
Posted on 8/14/16 at 8:35 pm
Posted on 8/14/16 at 8:35 pm
We have a raised up house that was flooded. Hardwood floors haven't buckled but are covered in about a half inch of fine silty mud.
Does anyone have a good method for cleaning this out. Easiest would be to power wash it out, but I think this would ruin the floors. It's to hard to squeegee and shoveling would get some but leave a ton of behind, and also may further damage the floors.
Is there any preferred method or machine to clean this up? Thanks.
Does anyone have a good method for cleaning this out. Easiest would be to power wash it out, but I think this would ruin the floors. It's to hard to squeegee and shoveling would get some but leave a ton of behind, and also may further damage the floors.
Is there any preferred method or machine to clean this up? Thanks.
14
Posted on 8/14/16 at 8:38 pm to Creamer
Hopefully you have flood ins, let it go and install new.
Posted on 8/14/16 at 8:39 pm to Creamer
I can't imagine those will be salvageable
Posted on 8/14/16 at 8:39 pm to Creamer
I will be in same situation when I can get to my house.
I've already filed a claim.
I'm replacing everything
I've already filed a claim.
I'm replacing everything
Posted on 8/14/16 at 8:41 pm to jgthunt
It just doesn't feel right to leave the shite sitting in there, is that normal?
Posted on 8/14/16 at 8:45 pm to Creamer
When you replace the whole floor it won't be sitting there. It's gonna cup and twist forever.
Good luck Man.
Good luck Man.
Posted on 8/14/16 at 8:52 pm to Creamer
Your floor is gonna need to come up. Shovel mud out with a flat shovel
Posted on 8/14/16 at 9:00 pm to Creamer
I'm a builder. File and pull them up bud. Prayers.
Posted on 8/14/16 at 9:19 pm to Creamer
My reply will go against the adv ice of everyone else, but here goes.
The house I was living in during Katrina was my grandpa's old house in Lakeview (NOLA). It is a raised house built in the '20s with hardwood floors throughout.
The flood water stayed in the house for 2 weeks. And the floors never did buckle. They were sanded and revarnished, and no problems.
You might wait and see what they do.
Posted on 8/14/16 at 9:30 pm to Creamer
they are probably done for your primary residence
safe what you can for a camp or lake house - if they are think enough you can work with them
hope you have flood insurance
safe what you can for a camp or lake house - if they are think enough you can work with them
hope you have flood insurance
Posted on 8/14/16 at 10:09 pm to doublecutter
Likely different wood if it was built in the 20s
Posted on 8/14/16 at 10:11 pm to KillTheGophers
Thanks for the replies. I hate to jump the gun and pull the flooring up without the adjuster approving new floors. Has anyone dealt with flood insurance adjusters?
Posted on 8/14/16 at 10:15 pm to Creamer
What about a shop vac? Not sure why a power washer would be so bad? You could always sand and refinish right?
Posted on 8/14/16 at 10:31 pm to Creamer
get the sheetrock and insulation out first and as soon as you can and let it start airing out and drying up.
IMO the floors are done for and it doesn't really matter how you clean them up.....If they are going to buckle(which they probably will) you will start seeing that in a couple days.
I would wait for the adjuster on the floors, but get those walls opened up ASAP
IMO the floors are done for and it doesn't really matter how you clean them up.....If they are going to buckle(which they probably will) you will start seeing that in a couple days.
I would wait for the adjuster on the floors, but get those walls opened up ASAP
Posted on 8/14/16 at 10:36 pm to baldona
Plastic/poly snow shovel from amazon (unless you know where to get one locally 
) may do less damage than a metal shovel
) may do less damage than a metal shovel 
Posted on 8/14/16 at 11:02 pm to Creamer
If you're really trying to salvage them, get the heaters that Servpro uses. That did the trick on my folks house. They tore out everything but the hardwoods and they were fine afterwards.
This was from a water heater in the attic that had a rust ring and flooded their house (it was for sale at the time)
This was from a water heater in the attic that had a rust ring and flooded their house (it was for sale at the time)
Posted on 8/15/16 at 2:20 am to Creamer
I had polyurethaned plywood floors in my camp. Used an electric (lower pressure) pressure washer and a shop vac working in tandem with a buddy. Had a few bubbles (it was plywood) but when it dried completely you couldn't see where any bubbles had been. Believe me, I tried everything else we could think of. That fine silt is usually sticky when it dries, forget hoping you'll be able to sweep it out
Posted on 8/15/16 at 5:56 am to Creamer
If they are engineered floors, they are done and need replacing. If they are solid plank wood flooring, go the ServePro method with the heaters and dehumidifiers.
Posted on 8/15/16 at 7:53 am to BruslyTiger
For a. Couple years I lived in a house so old it flooded in the big flood in the 20s. The floors were original hardwood pine. But there was no subfloor and no backing layers and all that other stuff that makes up a modern floor. That old structure could dry out, sand and refinish. The wood floors in my current house would have to be pulled to the support joist, which I would dry before reconstructing the floors from the bottom up. I'm just guessing here, but if you have a modern home, you probably have to pull them.
Posted on 8/15/16 at 7:56 am to Creamer
LMAO at the people who do not understand the difference between hardwood flooring and laminate or other engineered bullshite.
Wash them with a waterhose and mop or squeegee as not to split the grains and then allow to air dry if possible, if it is tounge and groove you mak have to add a few toe nails to aleviate buckling but dry it slowly as possible. By doing so too quickly (serve pro method) will cause to massive buckling and it will be ruined.
Type of wood is paramount as well.
Unfortunately I learned this the hard way.
Wash them with a waterhose and mop or squeegee as not to split the grains and then allow to air dry if possible, if it is tounge and groove you mak have to add a few toe nails to aleviate buckling but dry it slowly as possible. By doing so too quickly (serve pro method) will cause to massive buckling and it will be ruined.
Type of wood is paramount as well.
Unfortunately I learned this the hard way.
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