At Cleanup & Total Restoration (CTR), it’s our goal to equip our customers with the knowledge and know-how when it comes to assessing water damage on your drywall. We specialize in cleanup, repair, replacement, and restoration services specializing in water damage for any part of the home.
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What Does Wet Drywall Look Like?
Wet drywall can be invisible—which makes it all that more important to know how to detect it. Other times, wet drywall can leave a grease or coffee-colored stain, mold, or visible structural damage such as cracks or peeling paint. To detect water damage in drywall, it’s important to know the most common signs.
Common Signs of Drywall Water Damage
Water Seeping Through Wall
If you see water seeping through your walls, then it’s usually a clear sign that moisture has infiltrated your drywall. You can thoroughly inspect your walls to see if water is seeping through and detect hidden leaks by looking closely with a flashlight.
Cracks in Drywall
Cracks in drywall are usually a visible sign of water damage affecting walls within and outside the home. These cracks are shaped like tiny lighting bolts with sharp edges and jagged patterns. To know for sure if your drywall has a crack in it, you can push on your wall and pull away slowly to see if a crack appears—better yet, you can call CTR to assess and repair any drywall cracks you may have.
Mold Growth
Mold or mildew can start to breed from leftover moisture in your drywall in as little as 24-48 hours, but you may not see or smell it until it progresses. Not only can mold eat away at your structures and destroy them, but it also causes bacteria to spread and poses health risks when inhaled. To check for mold growth, take a flashlight and inspect your walls for any moisture.
Paint Peeling on Drywall
If paint is peeling on your drywall, the most common culprit is water damage. If it looks like paint is picking off, peeling off in large flakes, or deteriorating then your drywall may need to be replaced due to water damage.
Water Spots on Drywall
Wet spots or water spots indicate that water has seeped through into your home and has spread to wall surfaces, furniture, appliances, and anything else in the home. You can check for wet spots by putting your hand on your wall, and if it’s wet or there’s water anywhere around your hand, your drywall has wet spots.
How To Repair Drywall That Has Been Damaged by Water
Step One: Inspect your home for damages and leaks
Detailing what is damaged in your home and finding the source of the leak is extremely helpful to your restoration company in coming up with a comprehensive repair and restoration plan that’s best for you.
Step Two: Perform any at-home repairs or cleanup if you can
If you can, lay down tarps and use buckets to catch any excess water, dirt, debris, or mold before removing and replacing your drywall.
Step Three: Call a water damage restoration company as soon as possible to replace and repair your drywall
At Cleanup & Total Restoration, we will get to you as soon as we can for a free consultation to discuss a comprehensive plan to repair and restore your drywall.
Does Wet Drywall Always Need To Be Replaced?
This is a very common question we get and, yes—your drywall will need to be replaced once water damage causes discoloration, sags, cracks, mold, or any other structural damage.
Restore Your Water-Damaged Drywall with Cleanup & Total Restoration
Restore Your Water-Damaged Drywall with Cleanup & Total RestorationIs your drywall damaged from water? At Cleanup & Total Restoration (CTR), our team of trusted technicians offers repair and replacement services to best suit your water-damaged drywall. For over 25 years, homeowners in Idaho have chosen us time and time again as their premier home repair and restoration contractor specializing in water damage.
