There are a few jobs in the home that should be kept on top of regularly. One of these jobs is plumbing maintenance, and this is especially important unless you wish to be enjoying ankle deep paddling water in the living room. Sometimes taking the right measures and precautions in the home can still mean you end up with a flood, and rather than find fault, fixing the problem is the more important issue.
Take Action
Assuming you already have home insurance, you should be on the phone immediately to loss adjustors to get a claim underway. There’s plenty you have to set up in the meantime to dry out the flooring that has been affected in your home and insurance is just the first step. Water damaged floors require some intensive drying techniques depending on the type of flooring which has been affected. Carpets, of course, take a fair bit longer to dry out, but wood and laminate flooring can require some fast action otherwise you may be looking at replacing the floor.
The next thing you will need to do after speaking to insurers, is take steps to turn off electric, gas and water mains. According to the Environment Agency, turning off the mains to each utility is the best way to protect any further damage to your home. Whether you have wood flooring or laminate flooring, precautions must be taken urgently.
Wood Flooring
There are several steps you should take to dry out wood flooring, and you will need to call in specialists to dry it out thoroughly. Flooded hardwood can be salvaged with quick work. Air circulation is important, so ensure all ventilation to the flooded rooms is unblocked. This includes opening windows so all air is circulating. You should clean the floors thoroughly as it is likely to be coated with contaminates, and weights should be placed in the room to stop the wood from warping or buckling, which would be a costly mistake. You’ll then need to think about replacing your flooring in severely damaged areas, so using a site like http://www.ukflooringdirect.co.uk/laminate-flooring to find the most cost effective option for your home is important.
Flooring is a difficult recovery after a flood, but by being diligent it doesn’t have to be the end of the road for your flooring materials.