Water overflow under bathroom sink/vanity

[igthebold]

So for some reason the builders saw fit to install sinks without secondary drains.

We've had an overflow (in the last hour) and have mopped up all the visible water. However, water flowed into the cabinets, and probably down below the actual cabinets.

How concerned should I be? It was maybe an inch of water on the floor, but it's hard to estimate how much went under the cabinet, if any. How would I rectify the situation? Tear out the board at the bottom?

[Spork]

Holy crap.  An inch of water on the floor is quite a lot.  Did the water get sucked up into the drywall as well?

I don't really know enough to answer you... but I might be tempted to pull things out and dry them out.  The wood is likely to soak up and swell where it is in contact with standing water.

As a deterrent (for next time) I'd suggest all cabinetry underneath sinks get a heavy dose of clear silicone around the edges.  The wife suggested this when we built... and the first time we had a leak, all the water came out on my feet.  Zero water went through and there was an immediate "uh oh, something is wrong" signal.