Putting the Walls and Floors Back

After the Drying Comes the Repair

Repair is the last stage of a water damage job, and the one people see. Drywall goes back where it was cut, ceilings get patched and textured, and floors are replaced or refinished. If the drying isn't finished, the repair shouldn't start. Closing a wall over a wet stud or laying new flooring on a damp slab traps the moisture, and the damage comes back. The readings from the drying stage are what say it's time.

Drywall: Dried, Cut or Replaced

• Left on the wall: when a supply-line leak was caught fast and the readings show only the lowest inches got damp.
• Flood cut: when the gypsum soaked up water, sat damp for days, or hides soggy insulation. Crews snap a level line across the wall, usually at two or four feet, and remove everything below it, which leaves an even edge for the new board.
• Whole sheets out: anywhere bay, bayou or street water touched the wall.

The new board is screwed in, taped, finished, textured, primed and painted to blend with the rest of the room.

Ceiling Repair and Texture

If a section of ceiling came down or was cut out, the new board has to disappear into the old. Knockdown and orange peel are the usual finishes in Baytown houses; acoustic "popcorn" turns up in older ones. Getting a perfect blend on a ceiling that's been painted for decades is tricky, which is why a patch is sometimes widened to a room edge or a beam line. Before anyone scrapes an old popcorn ceiling, it may need a lab test; ask what the company's practice is.

Floors on a Slab

If new flooring is going down on a slab, the slab should read dry first.

What Does Drywall Water Damage Repair Cost Depend On?

The height and length of the cut, whether insulation and baseboard need replacing, how many rooms, the texture to match, and paint. A short patch in one room costs far less than a flood cut through a whole floor. Expect a number only after someone has measured and seen the walls. See what changes the bill.

Why the Repair Waits on the Weather

Gulf Coast humidity slows the last part of drying, and it affects how mud and paint set. If the house still feels damp, the repair may wait a few extra days for the readings. More: why drying takes longer on the Gulf Coast.

Cabinets, Baseboards and Doors

Pressed-board cabinet boxes and MDF base trim puff up when they drink water and are normally swapped out. Real wood casing and baseboard often clean up and go back on. Doors that stood in water tend to swell along the bottom edge, and the hollow kind seldom comes back.

The Order the Repairs Usually Follow

1. Final readings confirm the framing, drywall and slab are dry.
2. Insulation goes back into opened walls and ceilings.
3. Drywall is hung, taped and finished.
4. Texture is matched on walls and ceilings.
5. Primer and paint go on.
6. Flooring goes down last, after the slab reads dry.
7. Trim, baseboards and doors go back.

If a company wants to start with the floor, ask why; the floor usually comes last so it isn't damaged by the rest of the work.

Matching What's Already in the House

Repairs look best when they disappear. Ask how the company will match the existing texture, paint color and sheen, baseboard profile and flooring. Some materials, such as an older laminate or tile, may no longer be made. If an exact match isn't possible, a repair often extends to a natural break, such as a doorway or a full room, so the change doesn't stand out.

Repairs Around Baytown

West

• Old BaytownBaytown
• Goose CreekBaytown
• PellyBaytown
• LakewoodBaytown
• La PorteHarris
• SeabrookHarris
• ChannelviewHarris

East

• Cedar BayouBaytown
• Mont BelvieuChambers
• CoveChambers
• Beach CityChambers
• Old River-WinfreeChambers
• AnahuacChambers

North

• HighlandsHarris
• CrosbyHarris
• HuffmanHarris
• DaytonLiberty

Start again from Baytown water damage restoration.