Flooded Carpet

[Dan T]

We recently had a long series of storms, which culminated with water in our finished basement.  In an attempt to be more Mustachian than the version of myself that would have just called a professional, I ripped out the soggy drywall, patched the cracks in the wall with hydraulic cement, and re-sealed the gap between the foundation and walkway that was letting water get down against the foundation.

But I am left with the issue of the carpet.   What I have read indicates that if the water was there more than 48 hours, which I'm sure it was, I need to replace the pad and carpet.  Is this really true?  Do I have any other options?  One problem I have with that is only about 1/3 of the carpet got wet, but it was installed before we moved in, so I doubt I'll be able to match it, and will have to end up replacing the whole floor.

[StarswirlTheMustached]

I've a friend who works as a carpenter for a restoration company, and apparently that's a pretty good guideline. Unless you're sure you can dry it out 100% AND kill all the mould... you're going to have to rip it. See how it stands up to bleach, maybe? I guess you've nothing to lose if you go crazy disinfecting it.
Maybe not get carpet for the replacement, and do something that can handle more water damage, just in case it happens again.

[bogart]

Unless you're OK about living with moldy carpet, I think the answer is you have to tear it (all) out.  Sorry about that.  What kind of subfloor is it sitting on?  I know someone similarly situated (flooded carpet) whose carpet was sitting on a concrete slab and who is looking into laminate-style replacement (in this case something that "looks like" tile but much easier to install).  Per her experience/input I've learned there may (?) now exist a product that installs like laminate but has greater durability if it gets (and stays) wet -- may be worth asking about in a flooring supply store or construction big box store.  I gather it's made from something other than wood fiber (which is what the laminate wood-look flooring in my house is made of).  The samples she has look nice to me and I believe it's as easy to install as regular laminate (which is a cinch). 

I think you were asking if you had any option but to tear the carpet out, and I think the answer to that is no.  But on a positive note, the answer to "do I have options about what goes back in," at least, is likely yes, so there's that.

Sorry to hear about the flooding, my area's been pretty badly affected by this, including, sadly, of course households/families with no safety cushion at all.

[Another Reader]

Sometimes if you pull the wet part of the carpet back, remove the padding, and treat the carpet with a mold inhibitor before re-installing it over new padding, it can be saved.  I just did this on a grade level slab where a refrigerator water line split (thanks, Pex) and the water got under the wall and into the dining room carpet.  The carpet seems to be fine - no sign of mold and no residual odor. 

[Frankies Girl]

I had water damage from a hurricane a while back... this was not effecting the whole carpet, just a 5 foot section near a wall where the water leaked in, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

We pulled back the carpet from the tacks, vaccumed up as much moisture as we could get to with a wet vac and then put several fans RIGHT on the area to try to dry the section out. We left the carpet and the padding propped up so the air could circulate to the pad and underside of the carpet. We also cranked the A/C to help remove moisture. It took about 2 days for it to dry completely, but it seemed to be fine after.

You could always try, if it is a reasonably easy area to get to, pulling out the padding and put in new and make sure the carpet layer and the underfloor are DRY before retacking it down. Treat the carpet and the underfloor with a mildewcide like Microban. The padding itself doesn't have to look beautiful since it is under the carpet, so you can cut it with a box knife and fit it in there (pretty sure you can get it at most home improvement stores).

If it's more than a smaller section, I'd listen to the others' advice and just rip it all out and redo. You don't want a mold situation. I'd check your homeowners insurance to see if you're covered to get new carpet installed. Wouldn't turn in a claim unless you had a large amount of damage tho.

We've got engineered hardwood flooring now (I think that might be what bogart is referring to) and we love it. It's a thin veneer of real hardwood over a plywood sandwich of 5-7 layers. The layer system is stronger and able to resist warping much better than regular hardwood and laminate, and depending on the thickness of the hardwood layer, you can even get it refinished a few times, so it's supposed to last 50+ years. We have a concrete slab foundation, and the glue they use is supposed to also form a vapor (i.e. moisture) barrier so no more worrying about water seeping up through the slab either. It's not for everyone, but we're really happy with it.

[Paula57]

I live in a flood prone area. A lot of people have just given up on having carpet or wood on their ground floor and are doing stained concrete instead. If your slab is fairly smooth, you can do a staining and sealing job yourself if your into DIY. If the slab has rough or uneven patches, you need an overlay first and that's probably best done by a professional.

[StarswirlTheMustached]

I live in a flood prone area. A lot of people have just given up on having carpet or wood on their ground floor and are doing stained concrete instead. If your slab is fairly smooth, you can do a staining and sealing job yourself if your into DIY. If the slab has rough or uneven patches, you need an overlay first and that's probably best done by a professional.

Isn't the overlay just a flat/smooth concrete layer over the ugly slab? Spreading concrete isn't that hard-- getting it super smooth, maybe-- but it doesn't sound impossible to DIY...
Is there some special reason I don't know that makes that a professional job?

[Rural]

The overlay actually shouldn't be too polished (level, yes) or the stain won't take. Guess how I know, me with my stylish gray floors...

[TrulyStashin]

Sometimes if you pull the wet part of the carpet back, remove the padding, and treat the carpet with a mold inhibitor before re-installing it over new padding, it can be saved.  I just did this on a grade level slab where a refrigerator water line split (thanks, Pex) and the water got under the wall and into the dining room carpet.  The carpet seems to be fine - no sign of mold and no residual odor.

The distinction between this and the OP is that your water was clean while the OP's flood was storm water.  Unfortunately, floods from storms carry all kinds of residual environmental hazards in the water.  To one degree or another, the water that flooded OP's house also had oil, sewage, bacteria, and silt.   That makes it a much bigger issue because OP needs not just dry, non-moldy carpet, but also clean carpet which is just about impossible when storm water is the culprit.

Personally, I've been there and survived it.  Two floods in 2003.

[ritchie70]

My basement, with thick, almost-shag carpet (installed by the previous owner) flooded maybe six years ago. I worked and worked at getting it dry but finally ripped it all out and put it on the curb for the friendly garbage man.

In its place, I put down carpet tile, the same thin pile on vinyl backing that you find in most offices. Mine came in 24" square tiles. You only need a little tape to hold it down - the weight of the tiles mostly hold them in place. (Got them from icarpetiles.com.) It's an easy DIY - you just need a yard stick, a bunch of utility knife blades, double stick carpet or gaffer's tape, and patience.

Fast forward to this spring, when I had a minor flood in half of the basement. I picked the wet ones up, marking the ones that were cut so I could put them back in the right place, and spent a few weeks putting them out in the sun on and off. They dried fine, no smell, and I put them back in place.