Wet carpet, pad and hardwood: what can be dried in place, what must come out, and how the floor is measured.
Fastest: call (833) 490-5225. Or send this and we call you back.
Carpet and hardwood floor drying removes water from the floor surface and the materials under it, then dries the subfloor until it reads at the dry goal. In Albuquerque, Albuquerque Water Damage Restoration sends a local technician 24/7 as soon as one is free to decide which carpet, pad and wood can be kept and which must be replaced.
A wet floor is one of the most common results of a water loss. Carpet holds water in its fibers and its pad, and hardwood and laminate swell, cup and loosen when water sits under them. A floor can look almost normal on top while the pad or the subfloor below is still soaked, and the decision about what to keep depends on what is happening underneath.
Albuquerque Water Damage Restoration takes floor water calls across Bernalillo County. Phones are answered 24/7, and a local technician is sent as soon as one is free. The call taker asks what kind of floor is involved, how long the water has been there and whether the water was clean, because those three answers change the plan. Arrival times are not promised.
The rest of this page explains how the floor is assessed, what can be dried in place and what should come out. It also explains why the subfloor is measured before the floor is closed up, and why a floor that looks dry is not finished until the readings agree.
Wet carpet can sometimes be dried in place when the water was clean, the pad is still sound and the floor was dried quickly. Carpet that has been in sewage or storm water, or that has been wet for a long time, usually has to come out because the pad holds contamination and moisture below the surface.
The carpet is lifted at a seam or at the edge to check the pad and the backing. A carpet that smells sour, shows a dark stain through the backing or feels soft under the pad is not likely to be kept. A carpet that is dry under the pad and dries well is kept and re-stretched.
The decision is made after the pad is read, and it is recorded with the reason. Ask the technician to show you the pad and the backing before the carpet is removed, so you can see what the decision is based on.
Hardwood can recover from some water damage, but cupping, swelling and lifting at the seams can remain. The result depends on how much water reached the boards, how long it stayed and how evenly the floor was dried. Some boards come back and some have to be replaced.
Boards that dry slowly and evenly are more likely to return to their shape. Boards that dry quickly on top while the bottom stays wet can cup further, which is why the air is moved carefully and the readings are taken from the underside where possible.
The floor is not judged on the day the water is removed. It is judged after it has dried, and some changes do not show until the moisture has left the wood. Ask for the readings and the photographs to be kept so the change can be compared later.
The subfloor is the structure under the finish, and it can stay wet long after the surface is dry. Closing the floor over a wet subfloor traps moisture and can cause the boards to cup, the adhesive to fail and mold to grow below the new finish.
The readings are taken in several places across the room and at the edges, where water tends to collect. A reading that is dry in the middle and wet at the edge means the drying is not finished, even if the room looks dry.
The subfloor is dried to the goal set at the start, and the readings are recorded. The record is what allows the repair to be done on sound material, and it is the document a flooring installer will ask to see.
This site does not publish prices. The cost of floor drying moves with the area that is wet, the type of floor, how much carpet or board must be lifted and how long the subfloor takes to dry. The scope is explained on site and approved before any work starts.
Carpet that can be dried in place costs less than carpet that must be removed and replaced, and hardwood that must be lifted and re-laid adds labor to the scope. The flooring replacement is a separate job, and it is quoted by the flooring installer once the subfloor is dry.
Ask for the scope in writing with each room and each floor type listed. That scope shows which materials are kept, which are removed and why, and it is the basis for the replacement quote.
No. A floor that is covered before the subfloor is dry will trap moisture and fail. The finish is laid only after the readings show the subfloor and the materials are at the dry goal, and the installer checks the readings before starting.
The wait can be frustrating when the floor is needed for daily life. The technician can often arrange temporary coverings that protect the floor while it dries, and advise on what can be walked on and what should be kept off.
Repairs to the finish are scheduled after the drying is finished. That order protects the new flooring from failing, and the record shows the state the floor was in when it was laid.
Do not walk on wet hardwood or laminate, because it can be slippery and the boards may lift under your weight. Keep cords and extension leads off wet carpet, and do not run a vacuum over a wet floor. Do not pull up a wet carpet or a board without the power to the room being switched off at the panel where a wire may be under the floor. Keep children and pets off the wet area until the floor has been checked.
The technician checks the type of floor, the depth and age of the water, and whether it was clean or came from outside or from a drain. The floor is pressed, probed and measured at several points, and the edges and the transitions are checked for water that has run under them.
Standing water is removed from the surface of the floor. Carpet is lifted at a seam or at the edge of the room where the water sits, so the pad and the backing can be checked and the water drawn out from below. Hardwood or laminate boards are lifted only where needed to reach the water and the subfloor.
Carpet and hardwood that are dry or drying well are kept. Pad that is sour, stained or soaked is removed. Boards that have cupped or swelled beyond their normal shape are noted, and the decision on them is made after the floor has dried, because some boards recover and some do not.
Air movers and dehumidifiers are placed over the carpet or the boards, and the moisture is measured in the subfloor and the materials above it. Where the floor is hardwood, the air is moved carefully so that the boards dry evenly and do not cup further.
The floor is closed up only when the subfloor and the materials read at the dry goal. The readings are recorded for each room. Carpet is re-stretched and boards are re-laid where they were lifted, and the record shows what was done.
Carpet and pad that were wet from clean water for a short time can often be dried in place. The carpet is lifted at the seam, the water is removed and the pad is dried with air moving across it. Pad that has been wet for longer is removed, because it holds moisture and can grow mold.
Carpet and pad that have been in storm water or sewage are usually removed, because the water carries contamination into the pad and the backing. The subfloor under them is cleaned, disinfected and dried. The decision is recorded for the insurer.
Solid hardwood that has been wet can cup, swell and lift at the seams. Some boards recover as they dry, and some do not. The boards are dried slowly and evenly, and any that stay raised are noted for repair after the moisture has come down to the goal.
Engineered wood and laminate are more sensitive to water at their edges than to water on their face. The water can swell the core and separate the layers, and the boards that have done so are usually replaced. The subfloor under them is dried and measured before anything is laid again.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what carpet and hardwood floor drying should cost.
Floors in Albuquerque are finished with a range of materials, and the choice of carpet, tile or wood is set by the owner rather than by the local climate. Dry air in much of Bernalillo County can make a wet floor look dry on the surface while the subfloor still holds water, so the readings are taken below the surface.
The monsoon brings humid air at times, and humidity slows drying. A floor that is drying in the middle of a monsoon can take longer than one drying in the dry season, and the technician adjusts the equipment to match the outside air when the readings do not fall.
A storm that brings water across the floor of a home in the metro can leave grit and silt that work into the carpet and under the boards. The floor is vacuumed and cleaned before the drying starts, because the grit can scratch the finish and hold moisture against the subfloor.
Air movers and dehumidifiers run until walls, floors and cavities read dry, and each room is logged.
Washer, dishwasher and icemaker leaks that soak the floor below, traced, dried and recorded.
Sewage that backs up into a home is treated as contaminated from the first pass, with affected materials assessed.
Standing water removed from floors, carpet and rooms before any drying starts, with calls answered around the clock.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
A water damage restoration quote in Albuquerque is set by how much area is wet, which materials must come out, how many rooms are affected and how long the drying runs.
No New Mexico mold-specific license category was found on this site's research.
In New Mexico, asbestos contractors need the GB-98 general and GS-29 special contractor licenses from the Construction Industries Division.
A carpet that was wet and dried well often has no odor. A smell that returns after drying usually means the pad or the subfloor still holds moisture or contamination. The technician checks the pad and the subfloor before the carpet goes back, and the readings are kept as the record.
Carpet can usually be walked on with care once the water is removed, but hardwood and laminate should be kept clear while they are wet, because they can cup and the boards can lift. The technician advises on what is safe to walk on for each room.
Some hardwood returns to its shape as it dries, and some does not. Boards that stay raised or cupped after the moisture has come down are noted for repair. The result is not known until the floor has dried, and the readings and photographs are kept for the repair.
The time depends on the thickness of the subfloor, the materials above it and the air. No fixed number of days is promised. The subfloor is dried until the readings meet the goal, and the readings are recorded so you can see the progress.
The flooring installer replaces the finish once the subfloor is dry, and the technician supplies the readings that show it is ready. The replacement is quoted separately, and the drying and the flooring are kept as separate jobs on the record.
That depends on the policy and the cause of the water, and this site cannot say what a policy covers. Keep the photographs, the readings and the record of which materials were kept and which were removed, and ask the insurer.