What Are Flood Cuts?

9/19/2022 (Permalink)

When a business has endured a water loss or water damage, the mitigation process can be tedious.  If absolutely any moisture is left behind, it may cause secondary damage in the form of mold, or make the building materials unstable.  Of these building materials, we include drywall.  

Once moisture has penetrated your drywall, it only takes about 48 hours for dry drywall to soften exponentially or for mold to begin growing.  In order to prevent this from happening, SERVPRO often removes the bottom 12-18 inches of drywall from a home or business.  This is called performing a 'flood cut'.

Are Flood Cuts Really Necessary?

Moisture isn't always visible to the human eye.  That is why we use our state of the art equipment to detect moisture that may be hiding behind walls.  If moisture is detected, a flood cut is a reliable method that we use to dry out that space.  This entails removing the bottom 12 or 18in of drywall so we can use our equipment to circulate air and avoid the growth of mold behind said drywall in the future.  There are a few factors that we use to determine whether or not a flood cut is necessary.  These factors include

• How much, if any, insulation is behind the walls.  
• What category of water affected the area.
• The length of time that the water was left sitting before being removed.

The intent of the flood cut is to avoid you, as a business owner, having to close your business for an extended period of time due to secondary damage caused by the initial water loss.  Drywall and insulation are both incredibly absorbent and take a long time to dry out, making it the perfect habitat for mold.  If the drywall, insulation, and surrounding areas are not properly cleaned and dried, it will cause even larger and more expensive predicaments in the future.  That is why professionals recommend allowing us to perform a flood cut, to save you from future trouble.

As always, if your business has endured a disaster, give us a call! 871-596-8714