If you have a home that has been flood damaged please read on, it could save you from making a costly mistake.
As advised by the Queensland Building Sevices Authority the moisture content of any framing should be 16per cent or less before any wall sheeting is installed.
If you do install the sheeting you are taking the risk that the moisture from the timber will transfer into the sheeting, architraves and skirting. When painted these are very likely to have mould grow behind the paint and this will cause the materials to rot over time. This has been an expensive exercise for almost everyone and insurance companies will not payout a second time round. The only course of action will be the BSA and this would most likely be a drawn out affair. GET IT RIGHT NOW and save yourself the heart ache of going through this again.
The floor sanding contractor that does my work said that he was out inspecting a floor in Yeronga that needed to be fixed from flood damage. The house in question had gone completely under water.
The moisture reading was off the charts, he has hired some fans to circulate air through the house to get the reading down to the required moisture level so he can sand and coat the floor.
He was checking the moisture content a few days later and the reading had dropped to 26 per cent.
He noticed that accross the road there were already other sanders in houses sanding and coating their floors. These houses had the same level of water through them and more than likely the same moisture content in the floor boards.If his house is not ready to be done how is it that their houses have lost enough moisture from the flooring to enable them to start work? They may have found a solution, but they may not have.
Again this can be directed to the BSA, but wouldn’t it be easier if you asked them if they had checked the moisture content before they start? I know you shouldn’t have to ask, as reputable contractors would already do it and offer the information to you as peace of mind.
If you want his number let me know, I have always found his advice on finishes and his workmanship to be first rate.
