How Much Is It to Repair a Water-Damaged Floor?

Carpeting

• If your house has suffered flood damage, your carpets may be ruined and will have to be replaced. In some cases, the carpet can be taken up and cleaned, but in most cases, the carpet is saturated with mud and contaminated by mold and bacteria. When a carpeted floor has extensive water damage, the carpet, the padding, and the subfloor will be saturated. Wooden subfloors tend to warp and buckle, and often must be replaced or repaired before the new carpet and pad are installed. The cost of the project will depend on the materials required to fix the subfloor, labor, new padding, and new carpeting. If your home is covered by insurance, it is wise to have a professional insurance estimator and a remodeling contractor look at the job. They can provide you with a price range for comparable carpet and padding as well as an estimate for the materials and labor required to do the job correctly.

Ceramic Tile

• Ceramic tile itself is not normally damaged by water. It does not expand or contract. The resulting damage from flood water on a tile floor happens if the grout or tile adhesive is water based. When grout softens, "tenting" or loose tiles may be evident. If water covers the floor for an extended time, water will seep into and damage the subfloor. Water may also be wicked into wall board or plaster. The first step is to dry out the area as quickly as possible. Use fans and provide cross ventilation. When the floor is completely dry, inspect for loose tiles. Look carefully the walls and subfloor. Buckles or warping in the subflloor may not be evident for weeks or months.

Wood Floors

• Water damaged wood floors are much more expensive to repair or replace than linoleum. Wood warps and buckles, and can be stained by flood water and residual mold. If the water is the result of a leaking roof, the repair to the roof may be inexpensive, but the resulting damage to the wood floor could be substantial. If the damage is caused by standing flood waters, the floor and subfloor may have to be entirely replaced. The cost is dependent on the quality of the hardwood flooring material used for the installation, the replacement cost of the subfloor, and installation labor.

Flood Repair Estimate

• When it comes to flooding, the depth of the water is a fairly good indicator of how much it will cost to repair your floors. According to the National Flood Insurance Program, 1 to 4 inches of flood water can make your floor repair cost around $8,000, as of publication date. Nine to 12 inches of flood water will make the floor repair cost closer to $19,000. When the waters reach 18 inches, the estimate goes over $26,000.