Flood cuts and wet drywall removal in Miami, FL

Drywall that sat in clean water for a short time can often be dried in place. Drywall that soaked for days, or sat in gray or black water, usually cannot. The EPA advises discarding swollen wallboard that cannot be dried in place within 48 hours.

Opening the wall also shows you what is behind it. Wet insulation, a corroded fitting or early mold on the back of the paper only shows up once the board comes off. In a home built on a slab, the bottom plate sits right on concrete and stays damp while the cavity stays closed.

We read the wall with a pin meter and a non-invasive meter, working up from the floor until the numbers match a dry reference wall. The cut goes above the highest wet reading, usually at 2 or 4 feet, so a standard sheet of drywall patches it cleanly later.

Water category changes the call. With clean water from a supply line we cut only what is wet. With water from a dishwasher, an AC drain or rising floodwater, we cut higher and pull the insulation, because porous materials that held contaminated water are not worth saving.

• 2-foot cuts for shallow, clean water losses
• 4-foot cuts when water wicked higher or insulation is soaked
• Full-height removal when ceiling water ran down the cavity

Baseboards come off first, and we number them if they can be dried and reused. Then the drywall below the line comes out, along with wet insulation and any wet tack strip at the wall edge. Studs, the bottom plate and the concrete stay and get dried.

Cabinets are judged one at a time. A vanity base that is swollen at the toe kick usually goes, while a solid wood cabinet may only need its kick plate pulled so air can get under it. We photograph each item before it leaves the room for your claim file.

Cutting wet drywall is messy, so we lay floor protection along the path to the door and cover the vents in the work area. In a condo, debris stays in sealed bags and leaves by the service elevator and route the building manager asks for.

When the water was Category 3, the crew wears protective gear and cut materials are bagged right at the wall. Surfaces inside the open cavity are cleaned before drying starts, so contamination is not dried into the studs.

Once the wall is open, air movers aim into the cavity and dehumidifiers pull moisture out of the room air. We take readings each day and log them, and the equipment stays until the studs and plate reach the dry reference we set at the start.

When the readings say dry, the wall is ready for new drywall, tape, texture and paint. We can move straight into that rebuild, or you can bring in your own trades with a clean, documented, dry wall.