Serving New Orleans
Ceiling & Roof Leak Water Damage Repair in New Orleans, LA
The leak is traced above the stain and corrected, wet insulation comes out, the cavity is dried to a reading, and only then is the ceiling repaired. The leak is traced uphill from the stain and corrected before anything else. Soaked insulation comes out of the cavity, the framing and the back of the ceiling are dried and read to the dry standard, and only then is the ceiling repaired and painted, so the stain does not return through new paint.
Quoted on site by the contractor who visits
Often needed alongside
- Structural Drying & Dehumidification
Sealed air movers and dehumidifiers bring framing, subfloor and drywall back to a measured dry standard, with daily readings logged from inside the material.
- Mold Inspection & Testing
An independent assessor confirms whether the assembly that got wet is actually dry, whether growth started while it was not, and how far it reaches.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an old pine floor take to dry compared with the walls?
Usually much longer. Heart pine is dense and holds water deep in the board, so it cups early and releases moisture slowly. Rather than tear out wood that is hard to replace, the contractor runs drying mats on the floor and keeps reading it after the plaster walls have already reached the dry standard, sometimes for weeks.
The rooms are dry but the house still smells damp. Where is the water?
Very often under the floor. A raised house keeps its living floor above a loss, but the bay between the piers fills and stays wet against the joists. The contractor opens the crawl, removes any soaked insulation, runs air and dehumidification underneath, and reads the joists and subfloor from below until they are dry.
Can plaster walls be dried in place, or do they come out?
Plaster over lath usually dries in place, but slowly. It is dense, so surfaces read dry while the lath behind still holds water, and closing it early is how stains and growth come back. The contractor drills at the base to move air behind the plaster and keeps reading until the lath reaches the standard, which can be two or three times the drywall timeline.
The same questions, in context, on the New Orleans city page.