Repairing water damage is inconvenient, whether you live in a flood-prone location or have a leaky pipe, roof, or other structural issues. “Water damage” is a general term that refers to water that enters your home through foundation cracks, flooding, broken pipes, or other means, causing serious problems and accumulating high costs for your home.
What can you do to fix water-damaged drywall?
While consulting a professional is always an option, small water damage repair can be done by yourself. Here are some methods for you to learn more on replacing or repairing water-damaged drywall.
Address the Leak
The first step in any water damage restoration is to block the source. While obvious for massive breaches, tiny leakage might be tempting to delay or minimize. Repair the damage and move on. No matter how big the leak is, if you don’t fix it initially, you’ll have water ruined drywall.
Cutting a six-inch square hole in your drywall around the water damage reveals the leaking pipe. Switch off the water and cut off the damaged pipe to fix the leak. Install the new pipe using the optimum manner for the pipe type. Turn on the water and check for leaks before fixing the walls.
Drywall Repair
Drywall is porous and can quickly lose structural integrity when exposed to dampness. While fixing broken drywall is a given, blistering or sagging drywall cannot be salvaged. Find any out of plumb drywall and replace it with a fresh piece.
Before installing the new drywall, ensure the insulation and studs behind it are dry. Even if the leak has been stopped, the new drywall can be damaged if installed against dampness. Allow a few days for the inner wall to dry before putting in the new drywall.
Remove Molds
Moist drywall’s porous nature encourages mold growth. If the drywall is structurally intact but plagued with mold, scrubbing the drywall will destroy the mold. Mold may be killed with diluted bleach without damaging drywall.
The chlorine bleach should eliminate all mold remnants and small water stains from the wall in one to two days. If there are still stains visible, sand and paint the wall.
Hide Watermarks
To conceal water spots in drywall, remove loose and peeling paint using a paint scraper. Next, sand the wall with medium-grit sandpaper, then finer grit until the surface is smooth. When the drywall is clear of flaws, it can be primed and painted.
Repairing minor water damage to drywall is a simple chore that virtually any homeowner can perform with a little knowledge and patience.However, you should be able to identify significant water damage that cannot be repaired by yourself and when to hire a disaster cleanup pro.
To Wrap It Up
Water damage to drywall can occur from various sources both inside and outside your home. The sources range from minor incidents that are quickly remedied and dried to a severe soaking that results in significant saturation and potential damage to the interior of your walls or ceiling. Regardless of the cause, water damage must be handled immediately and fully. Wet drywall, if left uncontrolled, can result in dangerous collapsed ceilings, structural damage to neighboring sections, and toxic mold and mildew growth.
