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How to Dry Damp Walls After Water Damage

After an event that leads to water damage inside your house, not only will the flooring be affected, but frequently the walls are as well. Therefore, it’s vital to understand how to wash wet walls or call a restoration company immediately. Fast-drying reduces the danger of structural damage and prevents mold from growing. 

Before you understand how to wash a wall after water damage, here’s a look into how water saturates drywall. Water that enters a room from floor level will cover the floor and floor covering. It will then begin to “wick” up the walls because of capillary action in porous substances. The area of this movement is contingent on the wall’s construction, the sum of water, along with also the water’s height onto the wall material.

Drywall is an absorbent substance that includes gypsum plus a cardboard-like newspaper on both sides. The water will be present on each side of the wall. Often, however, it is higher on the inside due to limited evaporation on that side of the drywall. While water harm is sometimes visible, at other times, the wall does not show signs of moisture.

The Way to Wash a Wall After Water Damage

We recommend the latter if you do not understand how to dry wet walls or so the damage is more extensive. From time to time, the water damage is clear, however most times, it is hidden, and those not trained in water damage restoration could miss it.

If you would like to DIY, here is how to dry walls outside:

If a burst pipe resulted in the water intrusion, turn off the water source. Hire a plumber to fix the busted pipe before any drying can occur.

Accelerate drying by opening doors and windows. Use fans to move air around the damp walls. Dehumidifiers can help remove moisture from the air, which removes it from the walls, also.

To accelerate evaporation, eliminate molding and baseboards to prevent moisture from entering behind them. Store the molding in a dry, secure place to prevent damaging it. Also, remove objects hanging on the walls, such as portraits and paintings.

Remove wallpaper if you have it. This requires patience, but it’s important as the background creates a “seal” that holds moisture from the wall. Wallpaper removal solutions, which split the glue, and can be found in the hardware store. You’ll also want 3″-6″ wide knives to scratch the wallpaper once published.

Note that entirely drying walls out takes time, so don’t rush the sanding before the walls are dry. A moisture meter can help you be sure. Once fully dry, you can reverse the process and refinish your room. Inspect the removed items for almost any moisture or mold growth before reinstalling.

Drying wet walls quickly and properly is crucial. If you can’t dry your walls instantly, do not allow the problem to get worse by waiting. Call a water damage remediation specialist and manage their expertise, experience, and equipment.

How restoration professionals dry damp walls following water damage

First, technicians determine the degree of the water using a variety of water damage restoration tools. 1 choice is that a non-invasive moisture meter. This meter uses radio waves to test for water without putting holes in the walls.

Another professional tool is an infrared imaging (IR) camera. It does so with no holes or other invasions of the wall material.

After the professionals identify wet walls, then they utilize specialized drying equipment to wash them.

If the walls are not insulated:

In this case, the restoration specialist may dry wet walls out without openings or removing the baseboard. These air movers eliminate moisture from the wall’s surface, evaporating it quickly. As the moisture evaporates, more moisture extends to the surface where it disappears.

The restoration specialist will also put in a very low grain refrigerant dehumidifier in the moist wall. Based on the moisture levels, one or more will be required. This advanced drying equipment reduces the humidity levels to aid with drying and prevent mold growth. Know more about mold remediation Everett.

When proper, the restoration professional will set up an inner-wall drying procedure by placing small holes over the sill plate and forcing air into the wall cavity. Various studies have shown that this remedy is the very best and quickest way to dry walls with water damage.

Moisture barriers are coatings or materials that inhibit the movement of moisture in the wall material.

Most latex paints are permeable and don’t make a barrier. However, glossy paints can create a barrier and tooth paint or paint wall coverings create a whole barrier. Technicians need to perforate or remove them to allow moisture to escape and also the walls to dry. If there’s foil or plastic to the inside of the wall, then painters need to remove the wall. That’s because drying won’t happen correctly and mold will grow in cases like this.

If the walls are insulated:

If there is fiberglass insulation with paper backing, then an inner-wall drying system can be utilized, as explained previously.

In those instances, eliminating the damaged portion of the wall together with the insulation is necessary to allow rapid drying and to prevent mold growth.

Monitoring the drying system

Regardless of the procedures used by the restoration specialist, homeowners should know that the equipment must function, without quitting, during the drying procedure.

Finally, restoration professionals will track the drying procedure at least once every day. This ensures that the equipment is functioning correctly during the drying process. Tracking includes moisture measurements to determine when the substances will successfully dry. Material dryness is measured against similar rigid contents in that arrangement. When dryness levels are equal, the drying is completed, and the equipment is removed.

To recap, this is how to dry walls out:

  1. After addressing the water source, eliminate paintings and other objects from the wall.
  2. Follow up by removing moldings, baseboards, and background.
  3. Open windows and doors to help speed up the drying procedure. Additionally use dehumidifiers, which may help remove moisture in the atmosphere and walls.
  4. Professionals use tools such as moisture meters, infrared imaging apparatus, dehumidifiers, and heavy-duty enthusiasts. This ensures the walls are genuinely dry before additional repair, painting, or refinishing.

A professional restoration firm, such as PuroClean Of Everett, knows and uses the principles and principles of how to wash moist walls. For efficient drywall water damage repair, call your local PuroClean office. Our trained and certified technicians can wash walls and other items thoroughly and quickly, preventing further damage and mold development.