No one wants to be caught unprepared in the event of a storm or major weather event. But if you are, the damage to your home could be severe. The easiest way to ensure the safety of your home is to prepare it for a storm, before the storm hits. Here are a few sealing treatments to look into when preparing your home and protecting it from water damage.
Window Sealing – Available at home improvement stores, window sealing kits can help weatherproof your windows and protect them from the elements. Using shrink-wrap material, these kits make the windows air-tight, and resistant to inclement rain and winds. These will also give you the added benefit of knowing your home is draft-free and not losing any heating or cooling costs.
Basement Sealing – This process requires you to line your basement walls with resilient waterproof plastic. This will help to minimize any water damage to your walls, and to help better direct water towards the basement’s floor drain. Untreated basement walls can lead to mold buildup, which can be toxic. If your basement floods, make sure you remove any excess water and dry the space within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold.
Floor Sealing – On concrete or cement floors, a sealing treatment will help to protect your floors from damage. Floor sealing in the basement, when coupled with the wall treatments, can help you prevent damage in the event of a basement flood or a storm-related breach. If you do experience basement flooding, be sure to dry the area out as soon as possible. Water damage accounts for nearly $9.1 billion in property damage costs just from 2007 to 2009.
Don’t let unwanted water catch you unprepared. Ready yourself for the storm by sealing your windows, walls, and floors. You never know when the next big thing is going to hit home.