This is a question that property owners often ask after water damage has occurred to their home or building. Certainly when they walk across the carpet and it sloshes over their shoes it is hard for them to believe it can be restored and be a strong as it was before the water damage occurred. A lot of property owners expect the carpet to be replaced after water damage, either because of their lack of knowledge or because they just want new carpet. Oftentimes we see insurance adjusters giving in to the consumer’s desires, even after the carpet has been dried which increases the cost of the claim substantially.
Can carpet really be restored after water damage? The best answer is, it depends. According to IICRC S500, Water Damage Restoration Standard and Reference Guide, water sources are placed in three general categories.
Carpet in Category 1 can be restored assuming that there is quick response, a thorough extraction of the carpet is accomplished, and adequate drying equipment is used. In situations where carpet is installed over hardwood flooring, it is recommended that the carpet be taken offsite for drying, in order to facilitate the drying of the hardwood floor. In addition, the carpet must be thoroughly cleaned after it is dried.
Category 2 carpet can be restored assuming that there is quick response, a thorough extraction of the carpet is accomplished, and adequate drying equipment is used. In situations where carpet is installed over hardwood flooring, it is recommended that the carpet be taken off site for drying, in order to facilitate drying of the hardwood floor. In addition the carpet must be thoroughly cleaned after it is dried. Carpet cushion must be removed in a Category 2 water loss.
Carpets in Category 3 water losses must be removed. Even though the carpet could be dried as in a Category 1 or 2 situation, it could not be restored to a sanitary condition.
In August of 2002 the Society of Cleaning and Restoration Technicians conducted a carpet strength study at the laboratories of Shaw Industries.
Two Carpet styles were tested:
Carpet sections were installed over a 7/16” six pound, bonded urethane pad. The carpets were saturated with water, extracted then dried. The following conclusion was made:
Wet carpet experiences more adhesive strength loss than previously anticipated by the industry. It appears to be more like 70-80% on the Saxony and some 83% for the Berber-style carpet. However the longer the carpet dried, the stronger the adhesive becomes – even to the point that it exceeds the original strength.
The above is just one of the conclusions made as a result of this study. For a published copy of this study call 800-WHY-ISCT.
The study does confirm that carpets can be dried after water and may be stronger than they were before they were wet. The study also tells us that disengaging, folding, rolling, or bending of carpet while it is wet could cause delamination of the carpet backings. Therefore it is a good practice that, if carpet cushion needs to be replaced, the carpet be dried before the cushion is removed.
