How To Dry Your Luxury Vinyl Flooring After Water Damages Your Home
One of the selling points of luxury vinyl flooring is that it is resistant to water damage. However, that doesn't mean your floor is impervious to water damage when the floor is flooded. The type of damage you have to deal with depends on the source of the water and how long the water is on the floor. Here's how to dry out a luxury vinyl floor after it's been flooded.
Understand The Risk Of Contamination
A flood from a burst water pipe that you start drying out right away is much different than a flood from a river that overflowed its bank or a sewer backup. In the first instance, the water is clean, and in the other two cases, the water is contaminated. Also, if clean water sits on the floor and becomes stagnant, it's considered contaminated if it isn't cleaned up shortly after the disaster occurred.
In addition, mold is an issue in rooms with a wet floor. The room could be contaminated with mold spores and pose a respiratory risk by the time you get around to drying out the floor. If contamination is an issue, then call a water damage restoration company for help so you don't put your health at risk working in contaminated water.
Get Rid Of Standing Water
You may need to use a wet vac to pull as much water off the floor as possible. You can also use towels and mops. It's essential to get rid of standing water so you can deal with the floor. If the flood is from outdoor water, there may be mud, dirt, and sand left behind after the water is removed. This debris needs to be cleaned off and the flooring sanitized unless you plan to get rid of the flooring after severe contamination from a sewer backup.
Dry The Floor
Fortunately, luxury vinyl tile protects your floor better than some other types of flooring like hardwood or carpet. If you can clean and sanitize the tiles or planks, you might be able to save the flooring once it's dry. It may be necessary to remove the flooring to dry the subfloor under the tile. LVT planks that click together form a tight seal that doesn't let much water through, but the main problem is around the edges of the room where water can get under the vinyl flooring. Water trapped under vinyl can't dry out, so the flooring has to be pulled up.
Vinyl flooring that's glued down has a different risk since the water can make the glue loose, and that causes the tiles or planks to come loose so water can seep under the flooring. You might need a water restoration professional to help you figure out if you need to pull the flooring out to dry the subfloor.
Pull The Humidity Out Of The Room
A good thing about working with a restoration company is they have a variety of equipment for drying out a floor. One thing that's needed is a commercial dehumidifier that pulls moisture out of the air. Fans or floor dryers may also be put in use to dry out the subfloor or vinyl planks. Several pieces of drying equipment may be placed in the room and allowed to run several hours to make sure the floor is completely dry and there's no risk of mold from excess moisture.
For more information, contact water damage restoration companies in your local area.
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