Lifting, drying and removal of hardwood floors and carpet that have taken water, so the floor does not cup or stay wet.
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Hardwood and carpet drying is the lifting and drying of floors that have taken water, from underneath where possible, while carpet and pad that hold water are removed. Surface drying alone leaves hardwood cupped and the subfloor wet. Phones are answered 24/7, and a crew is sent as soon as one is free.
A wood floor takes water in a different way from a tile or vinyl floor. Water passes between the boards, soaks into the end grain and the joints, and collects on the subfloor below. The top of the floor can look almost dry while the underside is still holding the moisture that will make it cup.
Carpet is a different problem. Its fibers hold water, and the pad under it holds more, usually like a sponge. Water that has soaked a carpet pad can keep the subfloor damp for a long time, and a carpet that is dried in place often stays wet at the base where the pad meets the floor.
The work is planned around the floor's material and the way the water reached it. Solid hardwood is lifted in the affected area and dried from beneath; engineered wood, laminate and vinyl each have their own limits; and carpet and pad are removed once they are found to hold water. The aim is a floor that dries flat and stays stable.
Hardwood cups when the moisture in the bottom of a board is higher than in the top, so the bottom swells and the edges lift. Drying the floor slowly and from beneath reduces the difference, and it prevents most cupping that would otherwise set in. Cupping that has already set can settle or need sanding.
The wood moves most across the grain, and a board that is wet on one face and dry on the other will bend toward the wet side. A floor drying at a steady rate from both sides stays flatter than one that dries quickly from the top.
Cupping is not always permanent. Some boards flatten as they dry evenly, and some stay cupped. The crew measures the floor before and after drying, so the decision on sanding or replacing is based on what happened.
Carpet and pad that have soaked up water usually come out, since the pad holds moisture against the subfloor and the fibers cannot be cleaned to a safe standard after sewage or river water. Carpet that is damp only on the surface may be dried in place, and the crew decides after measuring the pad.
A carpet that was wet for a few hours from clean supply water may be saved, if the pad is dry and the carpet is lifted and dried quickly. Water that sat for a day or more, or that came from a river or a drain, is treated as too far gone to keep.
Where carpet is removed, the tack strip, the subfloor and the edges are checked. The carpet trade replaces it once the subfloor is dry, and the old carpet is photographed and bagged so the record is complete.
The subfloor is measured through the boards, and where it is wet, the affected boards are lifted and the subfloor is dried from above and beneath. Air movers are set to move air across the open area, and a dehumidifier holds the room's humidity while the subfloor comes down to its goal.
On a raised floor, the crawl space under the boards can be dried with air and a dehumidifier placed through the access. That approach dries the joists and the underside of the subfloor at the same time as the top.
Once the subfloor is dry, the boards can be reinstalled or replaced. A subfloor that stayed wet for a long time may have swelled or started to rot, and the crew reports that to the flooring trade before the boards are fixed.
The area of the floor affected, the type of flooring, the number of boards to be lifted, the amount of carpet and pad to be removed and the condition of the subfloor decide the scope. The price is explained and approved on site before the work begins, and changes are explained first.
A small area of wet hardwood with a dry subfloor is a short job. A whole room of carpet, pad and wet subfloor, with a wood floor in the next room that also took water, takes longer and adds more lifting and drying.
Furniture, built-in cabinets and transitions to other flooring add time as well. The crew photographs and moves those items carefully and notes them in the log. None of these factors becomes a figure on this site.
Only in the dry areas, and not on lifted or soft boards. Walking on a wet or lifted floor can crack the boards or push them out of line. Keep to the dry parts of the house until the crew says the floor is safe to use.
Equipment on the floor, such as hoses and air movers, can be a trip hazard. Keep the paths clear of cords and be careful at the edges of the drying area where the boards may be raised.
Pets and children should be kept off the affected floor. The boards are fragile while they are drying, and a fall or a scratch can add repair work.
Keep the floor clear of trip hazards, cords and equipment, and do not walk on lifted or soft boards. Carpet and pad that have taken water may contain mold or contamination, so wear gloves and a mask when touching them, and bag them for removal. Do not use a steam cleaner on a wet or wet-damaged floor, since the heat and moisture can cause more cupping and staining.
Move furniture and rugs out of the wet area, and photograph them and the floor before anything is moved. Keep the furniture off the wet floor, since legs can mark or sink into a soft surface.
Meters read the boards, the pad and the subfloor across the wet area. The map shows how far the water travelled, and it decides which boards or carpet sections will need lifting.
Carpet and pad that hold water are removed and bagged. Boards in the wet area are lifted carefully, numbered and stored flat so they can be replaced or reinstalled in the same order.
Air is set beneath the floor where possible, and the subfloor is dried to the dry goal. The boards are dried slowly, since fast heat or dry air makes them cup and split.
The floor is checked for flatness and readings before it is released. Any boards that have cupped permanently, or that need sanding or refinishing, are noted in the log for the flooring trade.
Solid hardwood can often be dried in place once the boards are lifted and the subfloor is dry. The drying is slow and gentle, and the boards are checked for cupping as they dry. Some cupping settles and some needs sanding.
Engineered wood and laminate swell at the edges and joints once they have been wet, and they rarely return to their shape. Vinyl that is lifted carefully can often be reinstalled, but only over a dry subfloor. Each type has its own limit, and the crew names it on arrival.
Carpet and pad that have taken water are removed in the affected area, and the tack strip is checked for rust and damage. The subfloor is measured under the removed area, and the carpet is replaced by the flooring trade once the subfloor is dry.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
Hardwood is common in Jacksonville's older houses, and the humid air here makes a wet floor slower to dry than it would be in a drier place. The crew measures the air before it sets the floor drying, so the boards come down at a pace that keeps them flat.
The historic neighborhoods of Riverside and Avondale have solid wood floors laid over raised foundations, and those floors dry from beneath as well as from the top. The crawl space access is used where the subfloor is accessible, and the boards are lifted in the area of the wet readings only.
Many of the city's apartments and commercial spaces have carpet over concrete or a wood subfloor. Carpet in those spaces is removed where it holds water, and the concrete or the subfloor is measured before it is closed up again.
Careful drying of plaster walls, lath and wood floors in older houses, planned to keep original finishes where readings allow.
Water extraction and drying after a washer, dishwasher, refrigerator or other appliance leaks into the floor and walls.
Cleanup of water that has come back up a drain or toilet, handled as contaminated water from the first step.
Air movement and dehumidification that dry floors, walls and framing to measured readings in humid North Florida air.
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Often, after slow drying, but not always. Some cupping settles as the boards dry evenly, and some boards stay raised and need sanding or replacement. The crew records the floor before and after drying, so the decision is based on the evidence.
Sometimes. A carpet that was wet for a short time from clean water can be lifted and dried if the pad is dry and the carpet is cleaned. A carpet that was wet for a long time or with river or drain water is usually removed, and the crew explains which applies.
So they can be put back in the same order and the same place. Boards that have been lifted and stored are numbered to keep the floor's pattern and its fit. The numbering also helps the flooring trade match any replacement boards.
Not a household fan aimed at the floor. Aimed air dries the surface fast and the boards below stay wet, which makes cupping more likely. The crew places air movers and a dehumidifier to dry the floor evenly.
A flooring contractor, once the subfloor is confirmed dry. The crew provides the readings and the log, and it notes what the flooring trade will need to replace or refinish. This site does not install floors.
Not on a fixed timeline, but a carpet or pad that is left wet can start to mold and smell within days. Once it has been removed, the subfloor is dried and the replacement is chosen with you. Ask the crew for the final readings before the new floor is laid.