Is It Necessary to Dispose of All Charred Materials After Fire Damage Incidents in New Providence?

5/10/2020 (Permalink)

Fire damage could leave lingering effects if not taken care of properly. Contact SERVPRO for assistance in mitigation.

Methodical Evaluation of the Damage and Use of Advanced Cleaning Techniques Can Help Salvage Some Materials

Containing a fire before it consumes your entire house should give you a reason to celebrate. Small fires sparked by unattended cooking or faulty electronic appliances are likely to leave localized damages a room or section of the property. 

Significant charring is likely to affect materials such as storage cabinets, tables, walls, or ceilings. Deciding whether to tear everything down or search for fire damage restoration solutions in New Providence might be challenging, especially when you consider the work involved and the value of the affected items.

What determines whether a material can be restored?

• Depth of charring
• The type of finish
• Structural composition of a material

Since charring starts at the surface and progresses deeper as the fire rages, it can result in the deformation of the affected surfaces since heat does not spread uniformly. If it is too deep, the material might lose structural strength. Our SERVPRO technicians rely on visual observations or take measurements with a char depth gauge to determine whether charring is too deep. Such evaluation is especially necessary for materials made with thick blocks of wood.

The type of finish can influence the decision of whether to salvage an item or material. Finishes that can be reapplied conveniently after removing the charred material offer more flexibility. Some typical finishes in this list include:

• Dye
• Varnish
• Paint

Which is the best method to restore charred materials?

Before starting the restoration process, it is essential to remove hardware such as knobs and hinges from an item. Various methods can help remove the layer of charred material from a surface. Removal mostly involves standard abrasive methods such as sanding or wire brushing. However, they take time and might damage the underlying material. Our SERVPRO technicians also use advanced methods such as dry ice or soda blasting to restore charred surfaces since they do not cause additional damages.

With help from SERVPRO of Western Union County, you can salvage many items damaged by fire. Call us at (908) 791-9177 to help. We're Faster To Any Size Disaster.

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