Repairing Your Flooded Home PDF - American Red Cross

4S T E PDry Out Your HomeSome contaminants will stay inthe wood pores after it dries, butnot as much as stays in floodedwallboard. Wood studs and sillswill be covered by new wallboardand painted, so they are wellremoved from human contact.Therefore, wet wood studs andsills do not need to be replaced ifthey are allowed to dry properly.Drain the Ceilings andWallsCeilingsCheck for sagging ceilings. Drainthem carefully as shown in Step 2.If the floodwaters went above yourceiling, you should replace it if itis made of wallboard. A plasterceiling will dry eventually, but if ithas too many cracks or sags, youwill have to tear it down andreplace it. Remove any wet insulationin the ceiling to allow thejoists to dry.WallsRemove water trapped withinyour walls. To check for water,take off the baseboard. Stick anawl or knife into the wall about 2inches above the floor (just abovethe 2 X 4 wood sill plate). Ifwater drips out, cut or drill a holelarge enough to allow water todrain freely. (Use a hand or cordlessdrill or saw to avoid shock.) Ifyou are going to replace the wallboardanyway, you don’t have tobe neat: use a hammer to knockout a hole.wood sill plateIf your walls are plaster, a knifewon’t penetrate them. Drill a holeabove the sill plate to drain thewater. (Use a hand or cordlessdrill to avoid shock.) Do not usea hammer or chisel on plasterbecause the plaster could shatter.In a newer home, you may havemetal sill plates. A metal sill actsas a trough at the bottom of thewall cavity. Drill a hole at floorlevel to drain the water, using ahand or cordless drill.metal sill plateRepeat the process to drain allthe wall cavities. Depending onthe spacing between studs in yourwalls, make a hole every 16” orevery 24”. Watch out for thewiring which is usually at the22