Cleaning Up Water-Damaged Kitchen Cabinets

5 min read

Many potential water hazards can be found in your kitchen. Whether a pipe bursts, a faucet leaks, or your garbage disposal breaks down, these situations can spell disaster for your cabinets.

How Water Damages Wooden Cabinets

Most kitchen cabinets are made of wood, which is a building material that can easily rot and develop stains when exposed to water or too much moisture. It can also become delaminated and warped in cases of severe water damage, rendering your cabinets unusable and requiring complete overhauls. On top of that, mold and mildew can grow and eat away at nearby structures in your kitchen while also impacting your indoor air quality.

Different types of wood will naturally respond differently to standing water and excess moisture. But whether your cabinets are made from MDF, plywood, or other material, it’s always a good idea to equip yourself with the basics of dealing with kitchen water damage in Avondale.

Save yourself – and your kitchen cabinets – from expensive and extensive damage by taking these steps:

1. Assess the Damage

Before you ready your tools and roll up your sleeves, it’s best to first understand the extent of damage your cabinets suffered. Doing so helps you determine what you need to do and how to get started. Damage from minor leaks may be fixed with quick repairs, but extensive damage may require the intervention of water damage restoration experts.

To ensure you’re inspecting the cabinets properly, remove everything inside them. Check the door hinges for signs of rust and the wood’s corners for stains, swelling, sagging, or peeling. Watching out for delamination and cracks also lets you know if you’re dealing with old or recent water damage.

2. Find the Source

Once the cabinet is empty and you’ve had a better look at the water damage, the next step is to determine and address the source.

If a problematic pipe, drain, or faucet is causing your kitchen water damage, you’ll have to do more than clean up the spillage. While you can repair the plumbing yourself, remember that you may do more harm than good. An experienced plumber will be able to fix your pipes quickly and ensure they won’t cause the same problem anytime soon.

Ensure that you address the source of the damage before you move on to repairing the water damage.

3. Repair or Replace the Cabinets

One case of water damage in Avondale will differ from the next, and the steps you’ll need to take will ultimately depend on your unique situation. Nevertheless, here are the basic steps you can take to make your affected cabinets look like new again:

1. Ensure that your cabinets are dry before working on them.
2. Apply a shellac-based primer on the wood. This product helps seal the surface, treat minor blemishes, and repair water damage.
3. For more extensive damages, consider using a plastic wood filler. This soaks into the wood’s fibers and bonds with them to repair the material from the inside.
4. Sand down the cabinet using sandpaper or an electric sander to smooth the wood’s surface.
5. Paint your cabinets once they’re smooth. It’s best to cover the entire surface rather than just the affected areas to achieve a seamless look.
6. After applying two coats of paint, finish by adding a water-proofing varnish or seal. These products won’t make your cabinets completely immune to water, but they will make them much more resistant to spills, leaks, and excess moisture.

With all of that said, note that these steps may not be effective if your kitchen cabinets have been soaked for too long. Cabinets that are starting to separate, splinter, sag, or even crumble are better off being replaced than cleaned and repaired.

4. Enlist Professional Restoration in Avondale

Time, experience, and equipment are necessary to repair any water-logged fixture in your home. However, if you don’t have any of these or feel your water damage situation is too complicated to handle on your own, don’t hesitate to call your trusted professionals for water damage restoration in Avondale. They are equipped with the right skills and tools to clean, dry, and restore your kitchen efficiently.

While you wait for them, emptying your cabinets and extracting as much standing water as possible can help prevent more damage.

Can Water-Damaged Wood Be Repaired?

It is possible to clean, dry, and repair water-damaged wooden kitchen cabinets. However, note that you’ll have to put in the time and effort to perform the repairs on your own. You will also need to complete the cleanup and restoration process before more issues occur.

On top of that, some situations may require special drying techniques and equipment. Ultimately, the entire cleanup and restoration process may take anywhere from a few hours to several days, depending on the severity of the water damage and how fast you work.

To save as much as you can and get the best results, it’s best to get help from a certified team specializing in water damage in Avondale, like Restoration 1. Their technicians have the knowledge and skills to treat water damage on your cabinets or any other part of your property. Most importantly, they have the qualifications to get your home safely and correctly back to normal.

For residential or commercial water damage in Avondale, get expert help by calling your local Restoration 1 team today. Our crew is ready to mobilize immediately to kickstart your water damage cleanup and restoration project.