Drying the framing, subfloor and wall cavities after water, with moisture readings taken on every visit until the building is dry.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Structural drying removes moisture from the framing, subfloor and wall cavities of a building after water has been taken out. It uses air movers and dehumidifiers and is finished when moisture readings return to normal. In Lafayette and across Lafayette Parish, Lafayette Water Damage Restoration sends a crew as soon as one is free, and calls are answered 24/7.
Taking water out of a room is the start of the job, not the end. The water that soaked into the subfloor, the wall plates and the insulation keeps moving for days, and a floor can look dry while the structure underneath it is still wet. Structural drying is the stage that dries those hidden materials, and it is the stage most owners do not see.
Drying runs on air. Air movers push air across wet surfaces, and dehumidifiers pull the moisture out of the air so it can keep taking water from the materials. The equipment is set where the readings say the wet material is, not spread evenly through the house, and it is moved as the readings change. That is why a drying plan is written from measurements and not from a rule of thumb.
Call (833) 490-5225 at any hour if water has been taken out of your building and the room still feels damp or smells of wet material. A crew is sent as soon as one is free. The first visit sets the equipment and records the baseline readings, and each return visit reads the same points again so that the trend is visible.
Do not run an unvented gas or propane heater inside a wet building, because the combustion gases and the moisture in the air can both cause harm. Keep electrical cords and extension leads out of standing water and off wet floors. Do not open a wall cavity without a mask and gloves, because insulation and the growth that can follow water are unpleasant to breathe. If a cavity smells strongly or shows visible growth, leave it closed and call the crew.
Subfloor and floor joists hold water for longer than the finish on top of them, and they are where many floors stay soft after the surface has dried. The crew reads the subfloor from the top and, where it can be reached, from below. Air is directed under and along the framing, and the floor covering is not put back until the subfloor reads dry.
Water that climbs a wall stays in the cavity between the studs, and the insulation holds it. The drying is done with air moved into the cavity through small openings, and the readings show when the framing has dried enough to close the wall again. Wall drying takes longer than floor drying in most cases.
A room with furniture, shelving or stored goods needs the same drying but more planning. Items are moved to a dry area, and the equipment is set around the furniture that stays. The crew records what was moved and what was left in place, so that the owner knows where each item is.
Plaster and lath hold water in a different way from drywall, and they can crack or loosen as they dry. The crew dries plaster slowly and keeps the air moving gently across it, because fast heat can damage the finish. The readings show when the plaster and the lath behind it are ready to be assessed.
Call any hour and explain what is going on. You get a clear price before any work starts.
A building is dry when the moisture readings in the floor, the wall and the framing return to the level of a dry reference reading. Visual signs such as a dry-looking surface are not enough, because moisture can stay in the materials below the finish.
The technician uses a moisture meter and compares each reading with the dry reference taken in an unaffected part of the building. Readings are taken at several points in each room, because one dry spot does not mean the room is dry. The crew records the numbers on each visit.
Drying can look finished from the room while the wall cavity is still wet. That is why the crew checks the cavities where the readings stayed high. Once every layer reads dry, the equipment comes out and the record is given to the owner.
Water that has soaked into wood, insulation and plaster leaves slowly, and the air in the room can hold only so much moisture at a time. Drying speed depends on the materials, the air and how much water they took up.
Removing the free water takes an hour or two. Removing the water that is held inside a floor or a wall is slower, because it has to move out of the material and into the air, and the air has to be dried before it can take more. Thick framing, plaster and insulation hold water for longer than a thin finish does.
Humid days slow the drying, and so do closed windows and doors. The crew cannot change the weather, but it can change the equipment, the airflow and the schedule, and the readings show how much progress each change makes.
A household fan or a dehumidifier can help a little, but it does not replace structural drying, and it can push moisture into areas that were dry. If you run equipment, keep the fans pointed away from dry rooms, and empty the dehumidifier regularly.
Household equipment is designed for a room, not for the framing and cavities of a building. Placing a fan in the wrong spot can drive moisture into a dry area, and that can cause new damage. The crew uses equipment sized and placed for the readings, and it moves the equipment as the drying changes.
If you have equipment running before the crew arrives, keep it running, and do not switch it off to save power without asking. Tell the crew what was running and where, because it changes how the readings are read.
Lafayette Water Damage Restoration does not publish a price for structural drying. The cost depends on how much material is wet, how deep the moisture went, how many rooms are involved and how many visits the drying needs. The price is explained and approved on site before any equipment is set.
Each drying plan is different, so a price given on the phone would not reflect the building. The crew measures the moisture, counts the rooms and the materials, and explains the plan and the expected visits. The owner decides whether to approve it.
Equipment and visits are the main parts of the work. The crew explains what each part is for, and it does not add equipment that the readings do not call for. The final invoice follows the plan you approved.
Plaster, trim and paint are sensitive to moisture and to fast drying, and they can crack, lift or swell. The crew dries them slowly and assesses them after the framing reads dry, and it records any damage it finds.
Plaster can crack as it dries if the air is too hot or too fast, so the crew keeps the drying gentle in rooms with plaster. Trim may swell and then settle, and it may need to be removed and reset. The owner is told which pieces are affected and what is planned for each.
Paint that has bubbled over wet drywall often needs to be removed or repaired once the surface is dry. That repair is not part of the drying itself, and the crew explains what comes after the drying so the owner can plan for it.
Before equipment is set, the technician takes moisture readings in the floor, the wall and the framing, and in an unaffected room to act as a dry reference. These numbers are the starting point for every later visit, and they are written down so that the owner can see what was measured.
Air movers are aimed at the surfaces that hold water, usually along the wall base and across the floor, and dehumidifiers are placed to pull moisture out of the room air. The layout is drawn for each room, so the owner can see where the equipment is and why.
Where the readings stay high inside a wall, the crew opens a small section to let air reach the framing and the insulation. Soaked insulation is removed, and the cavity is dried in place before it is closed. The cut is kept small and is photographed.
The crew returns on the schedule the readings require and reads the same points again. A reading that is falling is evidence that the plan works. A reading that has stopped falling means the plan has to change, and the crew moves equipment or opens another section.
Drying is finished when the readings in each layer come back to the dry reference taken at the start. The equipment is removed in the order it was set, and the owner receives the final readings and the photographs for the whole drying period.
Humid air in Lafayette Parish slows drying, and the crew plans the equipment with the outside air in mind. A closed building in damp weather holds moisture in its framing for longer, so the readings are read with that in mind before the plan is changed.
The August 2016 rain left a large volume of water in buildings across Lafayette Parish, and the drying that followed was measured in the same way: readings, equipment and a record. The lesson for a homeowner in Lafayette is that the drying is done when the readings say so, not when the rooms look dry.
Where a building in Lafayette is wood-framed, the studs and plates take up water and hold it. Drying the framing in place, and reading it from the inside, is what keeps a repair from becoming a rebuild. The crew explains which parts of the frame it reads and why.
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Pumping and vacuuming standing water out of floors, stairwells and lower rooms across Lafayette and Lafayette Parish, around the clock.
Finding and drying mold that started inside wet walls, floors and cavities after a flood in Lafayette and Lafayette Parish.
Pumping, cleaning and drying a crawl space and the floor framing above it after flood water has come in from below or through the vents.
Opening, drying and reading wet ceilings and drywall after a leak or flood, with the lowest wet section cut so the cavity can dry.
No price for water damage restoration in Lafayette can be known before the building is measured.
The Vermilion River gauge at Surrey Street crested at 17.62 feet on 15 August 2016, against a minor flood stage of 10 feet.
Verify a Louisiana contractor through the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, which is the state body that licenses contractors.
Mold after a flood grows where moisture stays in wall cavities, subfloors and insulation, so drying has to reach those spaces and not only the visible surfaces.
The equipment stays as long as the readings need it. Drying is finished when the moisture in each layer returns to the dry reference, and the crew explains the expected number of visits on site. It does not promise a set number of days.
Yes, they run continuously while the building is drying, and the noise and the heat are part of the process. Tell the crew if someone in the household has a condition that the noise or the air movement makes worse.
Usually you can keep using the rooms that are dry, but wet rooms are closed off while the equipment runs. The crew explains which rooms are affected and where the equipment is placed.
The crew changes the plan. It may move the equipment, open a small section of wall or floor to reach the material, or check for a source that is still wetting the building. The owner is told what the change is and why.
Drying removes the moisture mold needs to grow, which is the most important step. If growth has already started inside a cavity, the drying plan has to reach it, and the mold page explains what happens when growth is found.
The price is explained and approved on site before the equipment is set. Whether an insurer pays depends on your policy, and the records from each visit are what the insurer will ask to see.