In a water damage event, it is essential to swiftly remove the water and wash your own property. This way, you will reduce additional damage to your house’s structure and materials, such as floors, furniture, ceiling, and drywall (gypsum board). Depending on the type of flooding and where water has intruded, the drywall must be entirely or partly replaced. Read below to learn how to fix water damaged drywall.
Things to know before learning how to fix water damaged drywall
If moist drywall is brought on by an overhead flood, the ceiling can fall. In cases like this, have your house’s structure assessed by a professional water damage restoration firm.
In addition, in the event the drywall water damage was caused by sewage backup, consult with certified professionals for repairs. This type of job entails security issues and biohazard cleanup services which are usually beyond the capacity of typical homeowners.
Before repairing water damaged drywall, locate and resolve the water supply. Extract the water and dry the region. The longer the water sits, the larger the harm to your own shingles will be.
The best way to repair water damaged drywall
First, clear the place. Remove water-soaked furniture and building materials. Also, remove wet carpeting and padding, or at least pull it back to allow the floor to air out.
Take safety precautions
When removing shingles, use respiratory protection as a few older drywall joint compound contains asbestos. Furthermore, remove non-affected electric outlets before tearing out wall material.
Remove damaged substances
Begin with deciding how much drywall to cut away. This helps when reinstalling full sheets of shingles. If the water level was higher than two-and-a-half feet, eliminate the wall material to a height of eight feet or the ceiling junction, whichever is greater.
If you do not know the water level, inspect the drywall. Eliminate any cracked, crumbling, or cracked drywall. But if it is only damp and the water supply was clean (e.g., A burst pipe in your home), you can likely dry it. Depending upon the amount of water damage, you might also need to remove damaged wall studs, cabinets, flooring, and ceilings. Next, it’s time to reduce the damaged parts of the drywall.
The best way to cut drywall
- Mark a straight line across the wall — over the point at which water ceased wicking — using a chalk line.
- Cut along the chalk line half or three-quarters of the way through the thickness of the drywall. Use a utility knife.
- Loosen and remove the damaged portion carefully. To make this easier, knock on a small hole in the broken drywall using a hammer. Use the pit as a handle to gently pull back the drywall. Even if it doesn’t appear moist, it likely is. When it’s foam plastic insulation, then it is possible to leave it in place and allow it to dry.
When the damaged drywall is eliminated, begin drying the area around and in the wall. Utilize high-efficiency blowers and dehumidifiers and open the windows and doors. Use fans to increase airflow behind walls and leave them operating at least 2 times so that the studs and flooring can totally dry.
Note: prevent hitting holes in walls. This practice doesn’t help the wall dry quicker. Additionally, it makes it more challenging to fix your drywall.
Sanitize and deodorize
Use a chemical sanitizer to prevent mold and bacteria from forming between partitions. Avoid bleach as it doesn’t prevent mold from growing. Vacate the place while the ozone machine is running.
How to replace water damaged drywall
Now it is time to hang fresh drywall. First, assess the size of this hole to help you understand how much to cut from a brand new sheet of drywall. Place four shingle clips around the pit and secure each one with a drywall screw.
After that, insert the drywall pieces and fasten them to drywall clips. In the end, sand the place several times to get a smooth wall.
Paint the revived drywall
This is the last step in restoring water damaged drywall. First, make sure the joint chemical is completely dry as it might include a good deal of moisture. Then, paint the wall with a primer to help seal the area. Following that, paint the entire wall to ensure the color is uniform throughout.
For professional drywall water damage repair, call PuroClean!
As you have noticed, the processes of how to repair water damaged gutters are time-consuming and complicated. Everything needs to be carried out fast using the right techniques and resources. Check out property restoration Downey for more information.
Don’t risk further harm by taking on the job of flooding water damage fix yourself. We use professional equipment, for example, heavy duty air movers, industrial dehumidifiers, moisture meters, and high-volume water extractors, to quickly and economically dry and fix your drywall and the surrounding damp areas.
To recap, this is how to repair water damaged drywall:
- Find and resolve the water supply that caused the harm.
- Take security precautions — wear a dust mask, rubber gloves, and switch off the circuit breaker.
- Eliminate the broken portions of the drywall. Cut them using a utility knife.
- Further dry the water damaged walls using fans and dehumidifiers.
- Sanitize and deodorize the area to eliminate musty smells and germs.
- Replace the cut-out portions of the drywall.
- Paint the restored shingles using mold resistant paint.
- Call a restoration firm to do these tasks for you quickly and efficiently.
