Assessing Water Damage

Allow the materials and structures to completely dry. Drying will reveal damage done to the material.

Examine the surface structures of wood, walls or even ceilings for "water deformations" that include blistering, swelling and fraying. Blistering consists of bubbles or raised pockets of material such as paint, Sheetrock or laminate where the surface material actually pulls away or lifts off the underlying layers. Swelling consists of solid materials that swell with water, then retain a swollen look once dried, and fraying consists of stringy edges where grains of wood cloth or other material became soaked.

Check floor panels, roof panels or walls for visual signs of secondary structural stress such as buckling of adjacent sections, bowing of individual sections or corner compression. Buckling occurs as a result of swelling, and consists of one or more swollen structures pressing against one another until one slips or causes the material to bend (bow). Corner compression also results from swelling and consists of mashed or compressed wrinkled corners between two adjacent panels.

Inspect any exposed metal surfaces for instances of rust that appears as red or brick-colored powder, indicating elemental iron deposits.

Look for erosion on surfaces such as shingles, or even in soil around foundations or landscaped areas like stone paths. Erosion on shingles consists of bits of sand washed away, so the underlying asphalt shingle appears bald and smooth like a worn tire. Erosion around your home's foundation or around patio posts or stone paths can appear like pockets or holes in areas once filled with dirt, and these holes will deepen with additional rain or leakage as the dirt washes away.

Check walls, ceilings and floors for stains. These stains will appear as wet pockets when everything else has dried. Such stains indicate water has permeated the structure and may have caused wet rot or mold.

Examine garage floors or concrete basement walls for seepage that indicates internal cracks where water has pooled. These internal water pockets can create pressure and lead to surface cracks.

Check garage floors or concrete basement walls for cracks resulting from shifts in the earth due to rain. These cracks allow water to flow freely into a room or up into a floor, creating more damage.