How to fix damp walls and blistered floors after flooding.

Once the rain stops, homeowners need to remove the wooden planks, clean and re-lay them; and apply waterproof paint to the exterior walls.

The heavy rain on the afternoon of September 26th caught many families in Saigon off guard as water flooded their homes too quickly and in excessive amounts. If houses had good waterproofing, tiled floors, and if belongings had been moved to higher ground in time, the consequences would have been significantly mitigated. For the remaining houses, the following solutions can be implemented:

1. Wooden floors shrink.

- Engineered wood flooring: It has poor moisture resistance, so if rain soaks in for a long time, each plank will shrink by about 0.5 cm. Water from the street will seep into the gaps between the planks, allowing dirt to penetrate. Architect Pham Thanh Truyen advises that homeowners must remove the planks, clean the floor and planks, then replace the underlayment and re-lay the wood flooring.

- Natural wood flooring: It has higher moisture resistance, but many low-quality natural wood planks are available on the market. Therefore, you also need to check carefully to address any issues using similar methods.

The ground floor of these homes often contains many electronic appliances and large pieces of furniture. Photo: Tran Thanh Huong.

2. The wall is damp.

According to architect Ngo Van Dinh, water seepage into house walls after rain is very difficult to deal with. Many families often only plaster the outer walls with cement and use regular paint. When flooded, the house will be damp and moldy. Even families using patterned tiles for the baseboards, which may appear dry on the outside, will experience dampness if it rains for a long time, affecting the electrical system.

Temporary workaround:

- Tiled baseboard: If the water hasn't completely soaked through the tiled wall, you can rest assured for now.

- For walls painted with water-based paint: You can salvage the situation by using a high-intensity lamp to shine light on the wall.

- Wood paneling on walls: You need to remove the old paneling, clean the wall and the wood, and then re-panel it.

- Wallpapered walls: The old wallpaper is completely damaged and needs to be removed, and the wall cleaned.

How to protect and fix the problem in the long term:

Families need to do a good job of waterproofing by using exterior paint. When the wall surface is painted, it will be smooth and glossy, so when it rains heavily, the water will slide off quickly and not seep into the house.

3. Electrical system

Most households use underground electrical wiring. Therefore, if water floods into areas with electrical wires, homeowners should call an experienced electrician to inspect them. Household appliances (lights, fans, etc.) that have been damaged by water should not be plugged in before the electrician checks them.

4. Furniture

- Wooden furniture such as tables, chairs, cabinets, and beds: Use a specialized cleaning solution to clean them, then let them dry. Afterwards, reapply varnish to protect against termites. For some severely damaged items, you shouldn't hesitate to keep them.

- Mattresses, carpets, mats, foam: Need to be thoroughly dried, washed carefully, and air-dried in a cool place.

According to VNE