Water Damage in Kitchen

[Ståle]

Help!!!
We have a water damage in the kitchen of our 40s villa. It has leaked from the connection to the dishwasher and (slowly) dripped onto the wooden floor under the counter. The floor consists only of original planks, without subfloor, with a basement underneath. When discovered, there was water on the inner floorboards closest to the wall.

We have had this classified as water damage with compensation from home insurance. A construction company came after about a week and looked at the damage and could possibly measure some moisture in one place. They have now sent a calculation showing that our entire kitchen, including floor and ceiling panel(?), as well as our basement, should be torn out.

I am now wondering:
1. The construction company claims they cannot measure moisture in floorboards and walls, only on the surface, because "such measurement instruments that you insert and measure in the material do not exist"_ is this true?

2. Does the floor need to be replaced if it is dry now? We have been running our dehumidifier for 2-3 weeks, and everything feels dry (at least on the surface). There are no visible damages, and we would like to keep the house’s original floor. Since there is no subfloor or joists, there is no area under the floor where moisture could have accumulated, i.e., water either runs through the planks and should dry up, or?

3. If moisture has been absorbed into the wall behind the sink, is it not enough to just tear down the damaged wall, or?

4. So: Do/should you replace materials if they are now dry and there is no visible mold growth?

5. What right do we have to decide how much should be addressed? Is it all or nothing??

I hope to get answers to my questions as they keep me sleepless

 

[etompau]

How much has leaked from the connection?
It sounds strange that the whole kitchen, including the floor and ceiling, has to be torn out. Is it possible they're telling a story to maximize their work effort?
What does your insurance company say?

 

[Marcussjogren]

The answers to the questions depend a bit on the kitchen's layout and design, but if we assume a standard-sized kitchen:

Wood that has dried and is so hard that you can't reasonably easily press in/through a knife doesn't need to be replaced. I would say that your floorboards with that construction should be able to stand under running water for quite a while before anything happens to them.

Walls, ceilings, and other components shouldn't need to be replaced unless water has seeped into the walls.

Yes, there are instruments with two prongs that are used to measure moisture.

I would have called the insurance company and said that this carpentry firm is not allowed to set foot inside the door due to ignorance.

 

[Marcussjogren]

https://www.netonnet.se/art/hem-hushall/verktyg/matverktyg/stanley-fuktmatare/204445.9452/

 

[Ståle]

How much has dripped from the connection?
It sounds strange that the entire kitchen with associated floor and ceiling should be torn out. Isn't it possible they're exaggerating to maximize their workload?
What does your insurance company say.

I don't know how long it has been going on, but it dripped very slowly, about 3 drps/min. It was wet/damp on an area of about 2 x 0.2m. The bottom part (about 2cm) of the wall, which is made of gypsum, was damp, but now feels dry. My thoughts are along the same lines as yours...

 

[Ståle]

The answers to the questions depend a bit on the kitchen's layout and design, but if we assume a normal-sized kitchen:

Wood that has dried and is so hard that you cannot reasonably easily press/insert a knife through it does not need to be replaced.
I would say that your floorboards with that construction should be able to withstand running water for quite a while before anything happens to them.

Walls, ceiling, and other parts should not need replacing unless water has seeped into the wall.

Yes, there are instruments with two prongs that are used to measure moisture.

I would have called the insurance company and said that this carpentry firm should not set foot inside the door due to incompetence.

The wooden floor looks just like before, and is definitely not porous in any way. However, they are painted on the underside, i.e., the basement ceiling, and this has got stains in the paint, which shouldn't matter.

Water might have been absorbed into the wall, but I assume that this can easily be seen when you remove the counter.

The insurance company is uninterested and leaves this to the construction company.

 

[Stefan1972]

Bring in someone else instead. Old houses primarily made of wood products dry on their own if the leakage stops. The exception is gypsum and modern insulation and such that obviously must be removed and replaced. Otherwise, it probably dries.

 

[etompau]

Don't know how long it has been going on, but it dripped very slowly, about 3 drp/min. It was wet/damp over an area of about 2 x 0.2m. The bottom part (about 2cm) of the wall, which is mostly made of plaster, was damp but now feels dry. My thoughts are along the same lines as yours....

Doesn't sound like much. Since you're asking here on the forum, a tip would be to talk to another carpenter and ask for their opinions. With experience, you should quickly get advice on whether such extensive measures are really necessary.

 

[Marcussjogren]

The wooden floor looks the same as before and is absolutely not porous in any way. However, they are painted on the underside, i.e., the basement ceiling, and this has gotten rosor in the paint, which shouldn't matter.

Water may have been absorbed into the wall, but I assume you can easily see this when you remove the bench.

The insurance company is uninterested and leaves this to the construction company.

Rosor appear in the paint, no major concern with that, just repaint it. The most important thing is to feel with a knife or screwdriver to make sure it's still hard.

Where you said the plaster was wet, you can cut out the bottom edge and check that what's behind looks dry and fine. Plaster is quite easy to cut through anyway. However, the risk is that the wall beneath has taken more damage since that's where the water would head (downward).

If you call the insurance company and say that the carpenter firm is trying to scam them for 100 000:- in the form of unnecessary renovation, they'll surely take interest.

 

[Ståle]

The answers to the questions depend a little on the layout and design of the kitchen, but if we assume a normally-sized kitchen:

Wood that has dried and is so hard that you cannot reasonably easily push a knife into/through it does not need to be replaced.
I would say that your floorboards with that construction should withstand running water for quite some time before anything happens to them.

Walls, ceilings, and other things should not need to be replaced unless water has flowed into the wall.

Yes, there are instruments that have two prongs and are used to measure moisture.

I would have called the insurance company and said that this carpentry firm is not allowed to set foot inside the door due to incompetence.[/QUOTE

Any tips on how to find a construction company you can trust?

 

[Oldboy]

I would think that renovation specialists might be suitable if you want to keep the kitchen as it is with genuine materials (solid wood, for example). They are interested and should be knowledgeable in older house construction principles, and how to go about repairing what absolutely needs to be repaired.

 

[Marcussjogren]

As Oldboy writes, the craftsmen who are listed with various building preservation associations are usually both knowledgeable and serious. They are often skilled in how wood and living materials work. And not just if it should be a 45 or 90mm stud to accommodate the insulation