About Water Damage Restoration

When property owners in Sandy Springs arrange for water damage restoration services, the experience can have a steep learning curve. You might not anticipate that professionals would recommend drastic interventions, including the significant alteration and removal of wet building materials. Professional fluid removal and moisture remediation often involve controlled demolition strategies. Although these actions add to the mess after a leaking or flooding crisis, they are essential to effective restoration.

Is Demolition Necessary

Severe and irreversible harm to porous building materials happens immediately and during the hours after water intrudes. Rapid removal is crucial to avoid complete deterioration and mold growth, but the liquids do not patiently await extraction. They flow continuously throughout your property, quickly moving out of sight before puddling up or soaking into structures. AdvantaClean of Sandy Springs must obtain fast access to the trapped and absorbed water. Controlled demolition, planned by our Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC)-trained technicians, is frequently the most efficient method. We limit undue destruction while opening up enclosed spaces to reach and evacuate the fluids. 

Where the Water Travels

Water spreads immediately if not contained in a solid tub or basin. It disappears into cracks and crevices like floorboard joints or runs down walls to lower levels, either on the surface or behind plaster or drywall. Fluids take the easiest route and pool up only when encountering a moisture-proof barrier:

  • Collecting over ceilings

  • Saturating flooring layers

  • Flowing along pipes and wiring, often migrating far from the original leak or overflow

  • Filling structural features such as cinder block cells and other building cavities

Demolition Overview

AdvantaClean of Sandy Springs carefully considers available options, matching the technique to the materials involved and the amount of liquid determined by detection tools to need release. Here are some common conditions that benefit from controlled demolition and a preview of how we carry out the strategies:

  • Ceiling Sagging from Fluid Weight

Technicians punch weep holes through the tiles, plaster, or drywall, starting at the edges of the affected room to control the drainage, preventing collapse. Extraction immediately follows.

  • Walls Bulging or “Sweating” with Blistering or Peeling Paint

Pulling off baseboards and cutting or drilling drainage holes at the bottom of the wall releases fluids. The holes permit negative air pressure systems to remove water via suction. Warm air directed through the openings dries out materials, achieving water damage restoration.

  • Drywall Crumbling 

If walls break apart from the moisture and pressure, we might use flood cuts to remove the destroyed materials while releasing accumulated liquids. We saw the cuts several inches above the waterline between studs.

  • Floors Warping 

Depending on the type of flooring, we could lift strategically chosen hardwood planks or remove a few ceramic tiles to find and remove the water. Sometimes we drill tiny holes to provide airflow, especially if we use top-down negative air pressure extraction (suction) systems like floor mats.

  • Cement and Concrete Cells Fluid-Filled

Foundations and cinder block construction contain many recesses where pooling occurs. We use moisture detection tools, including infrared imaging, to locate the hidden fluid. Holes drilled in mortar joints or at the base of blocks release the water and provide a way to direct warm, dry air inside to restore the integrity of the materials. 

During the demolition phase, property owners might find it hard to imagine that “restoration” of water damage will ever happen. If done carefully by skilled professionals at AdvantaClean of Sandy Springs, nearly all interventions to release water and dry out the structure are repairable. Filling in holes, reinstalling baseboards, resetting tiles or hardwood, and tuckpointing blocks or bricks are very doable fixes. Even the drama of flood cuts is only a memory after hanging new drywall and repainting.

Transparent communication between AdvantaClean of Sandy Springs and water damage restoration customers is essential. From the first call to us at (404) 474-8443 to ask for an assessment until you are satisfied with the progress and outcome of the project, we welcome concerns and strive to answer all your questions.

Schedule an Appointment or Call (404) 474-8443

To request a service call, please fill out the form below and we will contact you via phone, email or text as soon as possible to confirm an appointment time. You will receive an email confirming your service request.
Phone to call (404) 474-8443
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