What Are Structural Drying Services and Do You Need Them?

When your basement floods, drying the carpet and setting up a few fans isn’t enough. If water soaked into your drywall, flooring, or framing, you’re dealing with structural water damage—and that calls for structural drying.

Here’s what that means, why it matters, and how we handle it at Total Home Water Restoration.

What Is Structural Drying?

Structural drying is the process of removing deep moisture from the actual structure of your home—think framing, subfloor, drywall, and insulation. It’s more than just surface drying. It’s about restoring the parts of your home you can’t see.

Without it, water trapped inside walls or under floors can:

• Rot wood framing

• Soften or collapse drywall

• Fuel mold growth (in as little as 24-48 hours)

• Ruin insulation

• Lead to long-term indoor air quality issues

How It Works

At Total Home Water Restoration, structural drying involves:

1. Water Extraction
   We start by removing any standing water quickly using truck-mounted extraction units.

2. Moisture Mapping
   Using infrared cameras and moisture meters, we identify where water has traveled. This helps us see behind walls, under floors, and into ceilings.

3. Controlled Demolition (if needed)
   We remove materials that can’t be saved—like soggy drywall or saturated insulation. But we only cut what we need to. We always try to minimize disruption.

4. Drying Equipment Setup
   We place industrial-grade air movers and dehumidifiers to rapidly dry framing, subfloors, and cavities. This isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it job—we monitor conditions daily and adjust equipment as needed.

5. Verification
   We don’t stop until moisture levels meet the IICRC S500 standard for water damage restoration.

Do You Really Need Structural Drying?

If water touched any of these, the answer is yes:

• Basement drywall or studs

• Insulation in exterior walls

• Floor framing or subfloor

• Finished ceilings under a leak

• Built-in cabinets, shelving, or stairs

Even if your home looks dry on the surface, moisture can hide in wall cavities and under flooring. That’s where structural drying comes in—and why skipping it can cost you more later.

Real Talk: We’ve Seen the Damage

We’ve walked into basements in Grove City where homeowners thought everything was fine—until mold appeared three weeks later. In one case, a burst pipe behind a finished wall soaked the framing. The homeowner dried the carpet but didn’t check behind the wall. Mold spread fast, and we had to gut the entire wall six weeks later.

With structural drying, that could’ve been prevented.

Why Choose Total Home Water Restoration?

We’re not just a cleanup crew—we’re a licensed contractor that restores homes like we’d want our own fixed. You’ll get:

• IICRC-certified techs who know how to dry every layer of your home

• Honest assessments—we’ll show you the moisture readings

• Smart decisions—we’ll tell you what can be saved and what needs to go

• Fast response, 24/7

• Local service from a Grove City company that actually answers the phone

Call Us If Your Basement Floods

Water in your basement? Don’t just dry the carpet and hope for the best.

Call Total Home Water Restoration at 380-246-1837. We’ll check for structural moisture, give you a clear plan, and dry your home the right way.

From disaster to done right—we fix it like it’s our own home.