A flood or leak can leave your cabinets a soggy mess. Particle board cabinets are especially prone to water damage. Even a small amount of water will cause them to swell, split or even fall apart. However, water will also ruin MDF and solid wood cabinets as well. The key to fixing water damaged cabinets is to remove the water and dry them quickly. Our guide explains how to repair water damaged kitchen cabinets
How to Repair Water Damaged Kitchen Cabinets
Sink cabinets are the most likely to get damaged by water, but water leaks, pipe bursts, and floods can ruin any cabinet box in your kitchen. If your cabinets are wet or absorbed water, follow these steps to repair the damage.
1. Empty Out Your Cabinets
First, you need to empty your cabinets. You can keep food items stored in glass or plastic containers, but throw away anything in a box or bag. Wash towels and other fabrics and throw away paper goods.
2. Remove the Water
Next, you need to remove as much water as possible. Otherwise, it will continue to soak into your cabinets and eventually cause structural damage. Use thick towels or blankets to remove the water. Then wipe your kitchen cabinets dry with towels. At this point, your cabinets should feel dry to the touch.
3. Remove Kitchen Cabinet Doors
You should also remove the doors. Not only will this speed up drying, but it can also limit the damage. The weight of the doors may cause the particle board to sag or crumble. Move the doors to a different room and use high-volume fans to dry them. Lay them down flat to keep them from warping.
4. Dry Wet Cabinets
With the doors out of the way, start drying wet kitchen cabinets. However, you should avoid using household fans. They will take too long to dry out the particle board. It’s more likely your cabinets will fall apart before they are dry.
Instead, get high-volume fans and structural drying dehumidifiers from an equipment rental company. For an average-sized kitchen, you can dry out the cabinets in about a day with two to three fans and one dehumidifier.
Check the cabinets every four hours and reposition the fans as needed. Don’t forget to dry behind and underneath cabinets as well.
5. Repair Water Damaged Kitchen Cabinets
Depending on the extent of the water damage, you might be able to repair cabinets. If the water has delaminated parts of the cabinet, use carpenter’s glue and clamps to repair the damage. Spread the carpenter’s glue between the delaminated layers of the cabinets, then use the clamps to press them back together.
For extremely warped or swollen cabinets, screw 2×4 boards in as braces to help straighten them out. When fixing doors, screw into the back to hide the damage afterward. Once the cabinets and doors have dried, you can remove the braces.
6. Replace Damaged Cabinets
Unfortunately, you can’t always save water damaged cabinets. Since water weakens the glue, particle board cabinets are more likely to fall apart than wooden cabinets. Once they start crumbling, no amount of glue will fix them.
Your only option here is to remove the damaged cabinets and replace them with new units. If you can’t find identical cabinets, you might need to use wood stain or cover them with a veneer so they all match.
7. Clean Water Stains
Even if you saved your water damaged cabinets, they will likely have water stains. The best way to remove water stains is to coat the wood surface with oxalic acid. Unfortunately, you will need to sand the cabinet surface to remove the finish first.
You usually need to mix the oxalic acid with water, so follow the instructions on the label. Then use a brush to apply the solution to your stained cabinets and let it dry. One coat may work for minor stains, but it usually takes at least two.
Once the stain is gone, you need to neutralize the acid. Wash the cabinets with a mixture of half a cup of baking soda and a gallon of water. Then rinse the cabinets with clean water and allow them to dry completely.
8. Disinfect and Deodorize
Even though your cabinets are dry, odors and mold can still develop over time. Wipe your cabinets down with a solution of one cup of bleach per gallon of water. This will kill mold and bacteria as well as remove smells.
You can also get rid of odors by opening your windows. For strong odors, sprinkle on baking soda at night and then vacuum it up in the morning. You may need to repeat this a few times, but the baking soda will absorb most odors.
9. Refinish Your Cabinets
In some cases, you may need to refinish the entire cabinet after water damage. Lightly sand the wood to remove the existing finish. Then wipe the wood down with a damp rag to remove dust and dirt and let it air dry.
Use a sealant to protect the wood and form a base for the stain, then apply an even coat of stain. Finish the process with a finish coat or top coat to protect the wood. Always follow the instructions on the label for the best results.
Why Does Water Damage Cabinets in Kitchens?
We usually underestimate the power of water, but it’s an amazing solvent that can damage or even destroy pretty much anything. While your kitchen cabinets will stand up to the occasional splash or spill, large amounts of water will eventually soak into the wood surface.
The biggest factor for kitchen cabinet water damage is actually how they are made. Almost all kitchen cabinets are made of particle board. This is a wide range of manufactured wood products formed by mixing small bits of wood with glue. Usually, the outside of the particle board is covered with a veneer to make it look more like solid wood.
Unfortunately, two things happen when participle board cabinets get wet. First, the wood absorbs the water and starts to swell. Second, the water starts to dissolve the glue that holds the cabinet together. As the wood absorbs more water, it will speed up how fast the cabinet falls apart.
However, water will eventually soak into any cabinet. This is why it’s important to remove the water and start drying your cabinets as soon as possible. If you don’t have the time or equipment, you should call a restoration company for help.
We’re here to help if you cannot dry and repair water damaged kitchen cabinets on your own. Restoration Local offers fast, reliable water damage restoration services. For immediate cleanup and repairs, call 1-888-443-3110 for a risk-free estimate from our on-call restoration specialist near you.
