A water leak soaked the lower walls and carpet through the main hallway and several private offices of a bank office near Decatur. The job came down to three things: dry it properly, rebuild it so the repair couldn’t be seen, and protect a nice space while we worked.
Here’s what that looked like, and what you can take from it if you’re responsible for a commercial property.
| Project details | |
|---|---|
| Location | Near Decatur, IL |
| Property | Commercial bank office |
| Scope | Flood cuts, drying, drywall, trim, paint, carpet |
| Result | Repairs blended in, no visible seams |
Protecting the space first
The building was finished with wood doors, framed artwork and offices full of furniture, so protection came before demolition. We protected the floors along the path the crew would be walking, which you can see in the photos below as the paper runner down the hallway. That way the job didn’t create a second repair.
Opening up the wet walls
Drywall holds water, and so does the insulation behind it. Painting over a wet wall or running fans in the room wouldn’t have dried what was inside it. So we made flood cuts, removing the wet drywall about two feet up, to open the wall cavities and let them dry.
Main hallway, before and after: wet drywall cut out two feet up, cavities dried, then rebuilt and trimmed out.
Rebuilding so it doesn’t show
The hard part of a repair like this isn’t removing the wall. It’s making the new section disappear into the old one. A flood cut leaves a long horizontal seam, and if it’s finished badly, you can see it from across the room for as long as you own the building.
We rebuilt and painted the walls, reinstalled the wainscot and trim, and relaid the carpet.
Flood cut below the chair rail, then new drywall, trim and paint. The repair line disappears.
Working around the furniture
Private offices don’t always empty out for a repair. Here, the walls were rebuilt around the furniture and finished to match.
Private office walls rebuilt around the furniture and finished to match.
What to take from this job
- Ask who does the rebuild. A dry-out without a rebuild leaves you with open walls and another contractor to find. On this job, one team did both.
- Look at the seam. When you compare repair quotes, ask how they’ll finish the transition between new and old drywall.
- Protect the space up front. Floor protection takes minutes, and replacing damaged finishes doesn’t.
- Get photos at each stage. They’re useful for the owner, your records and your adjuster.
For more on the method itself, see what a flood cut is and why it’s done.
Dealing with water damage?
We handle water damage repair for apartment communities and commercial buildings across Central Illinois, from first response through paint and flooring. More of our projects are on our work page, including this one.
Our crews are based in Mattoon and fully insured (up to $1,000,000). If you have water in a building right now, call us 24/7 at (217) 246-7583.
