After Water Damage, Avoid This Kitchen or Bathroom Renovation Error

Florida weather can be punishing, which is why repairs after storm damage need to focus on more than appearances.

When people think of storm damage, they often imagine roof losses, missing shingles, fallen trees or water entering through a window, says Orlando property damage restoration professional Richard Di Biase. In many cases, kitchens and bathrooms are not the rooms hit first.

Even so, once water gets inside, it can spread well beyond where it entered.

Water may reach kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, flooring, ceilings, drywall, insulation, wall cavities and electrical components. Di Biase says the biggest mistake homeowners can make is rushing to replace what is visible without understanding the full extent of the damage.

Find and fix the source first

A wet kitchen floor, damaged bathroom vanity or stained ceiling is often only a symptom, Di Biase explains.

Heavy rain can expose drainage problems that are not obvious in dry weather. Clogged gutters, blocked downspouts, poor grading, backed-up exterior drains and water collecting against the home can all raise the chance of intrusion.

If the source is not corrected first, homeowners could install new cabinets, tile, flooring and drywall over a problem that will return and potentially worsen because of microbial growth.

Before any renovation begins, homeowners should determine how water entered the home. Possible causes include a roof opening, damaged soffit, failed window or door seal, cracked stucco, poor drainage, a broken supply line, a failed drain or a sewer backup.

Do not rebuild over moisture

After a storm or water event, the goal is not simply to make a room look dry.

Homeowners should ask the remediation contractor whether the affected structural materials are actually dry and request documentation of the room's condition, Di Biase says. That should include moisture readings, photographs, drying records, equipment logs and a final report, not just a visual assessment.

He also notes that demolition and drying often uncover older water damage that was hidden before work began.

Not every issue found during a current loss was caused by that event, but each one should be evaluated and documented before rebuilding continues.

Drywall, insulation, wood framing, subflooring, cabinetry and flooring can hold moisture long after surfaces feel dry.

In kitchens, water can remain beneath cabinets, behind toe kicks, under appliances, inside walls and below flooring. In bathrooms, it may be concealed behind tile, beneath a vanity, within a wall cavity, under the floor or around a shower assembly.

Before cabinets, tile, drywall, paint or flooring are replaced, the moisture source should be corrected and damaged materials properly dried, cleaned, removed or replaced.

Treat sewage backups differently

A storm can also overwhelm municipal sewer systems, affect septic systems or reveal an existing drain-line problem.

When wastewater backs up into a kitchen or bathroom, it is not a normal clean-water loss, Di Biase cautions. In restoration terms, it is generally considered Category 3 Water, a grossly contaminated condition that calls for a different level of care.

He advises homeowners not to use sinks, toilets, showers, dishwashers or other plumbing fixtures until the cause of the backup has been evaluated. Porous materials exposed to sewage or contaminated water, including drywall, insulation, carpeting, some cabinet components, wall coverings and certain contents, may need to be removed because they cannot be reliably cleaned and disinfected.

Use repairs to strengthen the home

The upside to storm-related kitchen or bathroom damage is the chance to do more than simply restore how the home looked before.

A kitchen renovation may be the right time to replace a corroded shutoff valve, re-pipe an aging water supply line, correct a questionable drain connection or replace a damaged cabinet base rather than cover it up, Di Biase recommends.

In a bathroom, a failed or questionable shower pan, waterproofing system or drain connection should not be concealed beneath new tile. Fixing the assembly properly is far less expensive than reopening a newly renovated bathroom after another water event.

Homeowners should also consider making the exterior more resilient.

Repairing soffits, flashing, roof details, exterior caulking, window seals, drainage paths and gutters can help reduce the chance that the next storm will cause another interior loss.