Water Damaged Floors: What to Do After a Leak, a Burst Pipe or a Storm

Water damage on a floor has a few familiar causes: high moisture in the house, a burst pipe, a sink left running, or flooding from a recent storm. The result looks about the same whatever the cause. Boards or planks lift, the surface feels soft, edges swell, or a damp smell hangs around the room. The first job is stopping the water. After that, the real question is how far the damage goes.

Stop the water, then look at what you can see

Shut off the water at the source first. That might be the valve under the sink or the main shutoff for the house. Then walk the room slowly and look for the signs below.

• Planks or boards that have lifted, cupped or separated at the seams.
• Edges that look swollen, especially on laminate.
• Spots that feel soft or spongy underfoot.
• Baseboards, cabinet bases or drywall near the floor that look stained or feel damp.
• A musty smell in the room that does not go away.

Take photos before anything gets moved. They give you a record of what the room looked like, and they give the estimator something to look at when you call.

What is underneath matters more than what is on top

The floor you see sits on a subfloor, and the water reaches the subfloor first. A new floor laid over a damaged subfloor will not stay flat or hold together, so the condition of what is underneath decides whether the replacement lasts. This is also the part nobody can judge from a doorway. Best Budget Flooring is upfront about it in its installation agreement: subfloor leveling may be needed, and that cannot be known until the old floor is up.

That is worth hearing before the job starts, not halfway through it. An in-home estimate puts someone in the room to look at what the surface shows, and the honest answer about the subfloor comes once the old flooring has been taken out.

The company also puts its subfloor work in writing. The agreement lists a limited 5 year transferable warranty on material and a limited 1 year transferable warranty on re-shim. On top of that, every installation carries a 1 year warranty on the workmanship. Because the subfloor warranties are transferable, they stay with the house if it is sold.

Which replacement floors handle moisture

If water is a real risk in the room, choose the replacement with that in mind. This is how the main options compare.

• Vinyl and SPC plank: waterproof. SPC has a core of crushed limestone and polymer, which makes it one of the strongest waterproof floors on the market.
• Porcelain tile: ceramic and porcelain are the two major types, and porcelain is denser and slightly more water resistant. Choose a slip resistant tile, since a wet tile floor gets slick.
• Laminate: some lines are water resistant and others are waterproof. Ask which one you are buying before you fall for the pattern.
• Hardwood and engineered hardwood: avoid them in wet areas such as the kitchen and bathroom.

Waterproof matters most in the rooms where the plumbing is: the laundry room, the kitchen and the bathrooms. The photo above shows a laundry room that was gutted back to open studs and finished again with vinyl plank flooring, cabinets and a sink. Vinyl plank is also scratch and dent resistant, so the same floor holds up to kids and pets once the repair is done.

What one customer's repair looked like

Misty Ray described her project in a Google review: "We had water damage from a sink being left on and had to replace our vinyl plank flooring and bathroom cabinet and also required some painting. Michael and his team made the process so easy and were awesome to work with."

Notice how much of that sentence is not flooring. The cabinet and the paint were part of the job too. A sink left running does not stop at the floor, and a leak from a burst pipe or storm water will not either.

One company for the floor and the walls

Water takes cabinets, drywall and paint along with the floor, which is why it helps that Best Budget Flooring does more than flooring. Its remodeling services include painting, trim work, sheet rock, kitchen and bathroom work, and siding, alongside paint, texture and drywall. For a water repair, that means fewer companies to call and one crew who has seen the room.

Practical notes before the crew arrives

If the damage is in a bathroom, the crew will remove the toilet but will not reinstall it, so have a plumber or a handy friend lined up. Installers will also unhook electronics and appliances without re-hooking them, and moving furniture is available for an additional cost. Raise those points when you schedule so nothing surprises you on the day.

Best Budget Flooring serves homeowners, businesses, custom builders and contractors, so a leak in a business is as welcome as one in a house. Call or text (903) 805-0018 for a free in-home estimate anywhere in the 50 mile radius around Tyler, and walk them through the room while the damage is still easy to point at.