Water damage is a huge problem that can occur in a home that is very difficult to ignore. Though the effects can start out small, the longer that water damage goes untouched, the more significant the damage will become. As water damage grows, it will become increasingly more challenging to remedy. Unfortunately, water damage is extremely common. The floods or leaks that cause it comes from many sources, such as burst pipes, faulty appliances, and even natural occurrences like rain or snow. Though some causes leave more water than others, it’s essential to treat all as a threat that needs to be addressed immediately.
Water damage can look different in the various kinds of materials that are present in your home. Knowing what it will look like when each material is affected may be helpful in spotting damage occurring in your home. This way, you can catch damage quickly before it spirals out of control.
Believe it or not, concrete is actually not waterproof. While you might see rain pool up on top of your concrete driveway, that doesn’t mean it’s waterproof. Far from it, in fact. Traditional concrete is a porous material that’s filled with little holes that can draw in water. In short, water damages concrete, often by wearing away at the inner channels in a block of concrete. For your home, this means that the foundation is at risk for water damage. If water makes it through the concrete, cracks will start to form, and the foundation can shift and unsettle your home. If there is flooring overtop the foundation, bubbles will form under the flooring.
Fabric is highly absorbent and will quickly take on a lot of water damage if not cared for properly. Different materials will react differently when wet. Wet materials may be more fragile, shrink, or distort as they dry. Dyes can transfer from one fabric to another. Moreover, water left in the fabric is a surefire way to grow mold. Fabric can typically be salvaged pretty quickly, though, unless the water is grossly contaminated.
Tile, grout, and adhesive are not actually waterproof but water-resistant. What this means is that over time, moisture can pass through these materials and into the substrate below, causing havoc on the foundations of your bathroom. A worst-case scenario could see the joists and floorboards wholly damaged beyond repair.
Wood is one of the most abundant materials in your home, as most of the cabinets, frames, flooring, and furniture are all made from it. To say that your house can be impacted by water damage is an understatement. Unfortunately, wood is very absorbent, and water affects it severely. Water can cause the wood to rot, weaken, fall apart, and allow the formation of mold to grow. Because of this, there is not much you can do to fix it once it happens, and everything affected will have to be replaced.
Water damage that has affected your home should be left to professionals to repair. Unfortunately, water damage can run more profound than you may think and can continue to cause problems even after you think you have repaired it. No matter if you spot water damage to something as big as your ceiling or foundation to something small as underneath your kitchen sink, contact professionals at PRC Restoration to ensure that water damage will no longer affect you or your home.
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