Tips on smart rebuilding after flood damage

After the onerous task of tearing out wet drywall, paneling and carpeting from flooded lower levels, what should a homeowner choose for rebuilding?

Yes, there are materials that contractors say hold up better when water invades your home, although others remain skeptical.

The best thing, they say, is to keep water out of the area by having epoxy injected in any cracks or if necessary contracting for more extensive waterproofing and drainage systems and installing backup sump pumps.

Drywall

Get a special drywall made for wet areas, said Ron Cowgill of D&R Services in Glenview.

Regular drywall has a paper backing on its gypsum plaster, and when that gets wet it can support mold and wicks and holds water. Georgia-Pacific replaced the paper with Fiberglas matting in a product called DensArmor Plus, and also has special tape and joint compounds.

It is more expensive than regular drywall, costing almost $20 a sheet at Lowe's, compared with about $9 for the generic.

It is installed and painted like regular drywall. The hope is that if water comes in and out rather quickly, the drywall will not have to be replaced. Drywall is usually hung horizontally in basements, so one row will reach up 4 feet off the floor, high enough to avoid most water.

Don't forget: Any screws or nails should be galvanized so they don't rust and stain your walls, warned Bob Lehner of Lehner Brunton Remodeling, Palatine.

Mike Dew, an owner of Oak Tree Construction in Schaumburg, recommends hanging heavy plastic on the concrete wall behind the finishing materials and arranging it so that any moisture will run down to the floor.

Framing

What goes behind the drywall including framing and insulation is also important. Steel studs will not support mold and are recommended by Mike Pudlik of Legacy Design & Construction in St. Charles. These might present a challenge to your installers who are accustomed to working with wood. There also is a risk of rust, but some contractors think it would take considerable time and water to do much damage.

Another option is treated wood, which is now safe for indoor use, said Rich Cowgill of Vision Design & Build in Willow Springs. He recommends it especially for the bottom plates.

Insulation

Pudlik recommends sprayed closed-cell foam insulation. This is the most expensive choice, he said, suggesting that homeowners doing their own projects could choose closed-cell panels. You want to stay away from Fiberglas drywall with paper backing, which wicks up moisture, he said.

Rich Cowgill does not think insulation along the foundation is necessary.

Flooring

There are treatments you can put on concrete flooring, including acid staining, said Ron Cowgill. This is available for do-it-yourself applications.

Pudlik likes a vinyl flooring that looks like wood that is glued right to the concrete. This is also something a homeowner could install on his or her own, he said. Laminate flooring is not recommended for such areas, he warns.

And Jeff Hester, vice president of Hester Painting and Decorating in Skokie, is one of the skeptics who doesn't believe anything holds up to water. Acid treating might last better on a concrete floor than an expoxy finish as is popular in garages, he said, and seepage through cracks in the floor is more likely to break any bond with the concrete than failure by a sump pump or plumbing.

Hester warned that pretreating of a surface such as cleaning and removing sealing from concrete is critical and accounts for perhaps 70 percent of a project's expense. He also noted that some people are using latex epoxy rather than those with solvents when painting indoor concrete because of the odors and volatile organic compounds. However, latex is not as durable.

Carpeting

Indoor/outdoor carpeting without padding that glues to the concrete may not seem very glamorous, but Ron Cowgill says if it does get wet a carpet cleaner can get the water out, and it will be fine.

Another choice said Rich Cowgill, is carpet squares that can be pulled up and replaced as needed. His own basement floor is ceramic tile, which could be costly for someone not in the business.

More info

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has posted on its web site a report entitled Flood-Damage Resistant Materials Requirements, which is related to the flood insurance program.

It can be found at www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1580