Water Damage Restoration Steps For Flooded Kitchen Cabinets

Posted on: 24 February 2022

If your family came home from out of town and discovered a pipe in the kitchen had burst and flooded the room, then it is important you take certain water damage restoration steps to rescue the cabinets. 

These steps are:

Step 1: Turn Off the Water

If the burst pipe is still leaking, then you should turn off the main water supply to your home. If you don't know how to do this, you can contact your water utility company for assistance.

Step 2: Talk with Your Homeowner's Insurance Agent

Your homeowner's insurance policy may cover the water damage in your kitchen. If it does, then the insurance company will send out a water damage restoration company. Damage contractors are professionals with the knowledge and skills to dry out, remediate, and restore your kitchen.

If your homeowner's insurance doesn't cover water damage restoration, then go on to Step 3.

Step 3: Remove Everything from the Cabinets and Dry Them Out

Take everything out of the wet cabinets and store it out of the way. Remove the cabinet doors. Dry any visible moisture using towels or a shop vac. Put fans in the kitchen and get the air moving to completely dry everything out.

Step 4: Evaluate the Degree of Damage

Once the cabinets are dry, look for the tell-tale signs of water damage:

  • warping
  • delamination
  • cracking

If you arrived home shortly after the pipe burst and the cabinets didn't get too wet and you don't see any damage, then thoroughly drying them out may be all that's necessary. However, if your cabinets sat in water for a long time, then they may have warped or delaminated. Once they've suffered this type of damage, then removal and replacement are the only options.

Evaluate the damage and decide if the cabinets are fixable or not.

Step 5: Repair Minor Damage to Salvage the Cabinets

If your kitchen cabinets only have minor damage, such as wood that has come unglued or formed small cracks, then you can repair them with just some wood glue and clamps. When the wood is completely dry, put wood glue into the damaged areas and clamp the pieces together until the glue dries. Once everything is clamped together, make sure you wipe off any glue that oozed out with a damp cloth. Finally, once all of the glue dries, then you can put the cabinet doors back on and fill the cabinets back up.

For more information, contact a water damage restoration company near you. 

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