Made Rite’s Snap-On Baseboard system is one of the best ways to detect water damage before it destroys a significant part of your home. You may think a water leak or a busted pipe would be easy to detect and definitely something you'd notice right away. The truth is, sometimes the signs of water damage are hidden - behind your walls, under your floor boards, or even on the exterior of your house. Whether the situation happened an hour ago or a month ago, there are a number of ways to remedy the problem with water damage repair and restoration. Catch water damage before it gets out of hand with Made Rite’s Snap-On Baseboard system. First and foremost is finding the source. Water damage can take on different colors, textures, and even smells, depending on the type of location of the damage. For instance, ceiling water damage is usually easier to spot than water damage in a basement because you will see stains and discoloration on a ceiling, but may not know that a musty odor can be a sign that there is a problem on the lower level of your home. Learn these telltale signs so that you can identify an existing problem and be prepared to spot it in the future.

The most obvious sign that you've got water damage on your hands (or that it will become a bigger problem) is areas of standing or pooling water. These can result from old or malfunctioning appliances including washers, water heaters and toilets. A puddle could also occur from a leaking roof, or from drainage pipes if the water is on the outside of your home. The most obvious sign that you've got water damage on your hands (or that it will become a bigger problem) is areas of standing or pooling water. These can result from old or malfunctioning appliances including washers, water heaters and toilets. A puddle could also occur from a leaking roof, or from drainage pipes if the water is on the outside of your home.

With ceiling water damage, look for water spots and stains. The area may appear wet or dry and can be a yellow, brown or copper color. Walls may also have bubbling, cracking or peeling paint or wallpaper in addition to staining.

While flooring can also show discoloration like ceilings and walls do, the main sign of water damage in floors is detected by changes in texture. This is a result of water seeping into the floor boards and areas underneath them. Some common texture variations include:

• Warping - caused by changes in humidity and temperature, resulting in gaps between floorboards or curling at the edges. (Ceilings may also become warped from water damage.)
• Buckling - Occurs in wood floors when one side of the wood becomes detached from the substrate and "tents," or faces upward.
• Sagging/Sinking - You may notice soft spots in hardwood floors due to rotten wood, which feels spongy compared to normal wood. Water can seep into subflooring of all types of flooring material and cause sagging.
• Expansion - Wood and laminate floors will "expand" when they absorb too much water because the material swells and then separates.

Odors caused by mold and mildew could implicate a water damage problem. The smell may come from basements, bathrooms, walls, or other areas where water has been accumulating for a while. Certain drywall materials can act like a sponge and become full of moisture because there is low air circulation. This is the perfect condition for mold to develop, which will eventually result in visual discoloration (usually black spots) and a detectable odor.

Water damage can occur in any part of your home; however, there are some areas that are more high-risk than others. Make a checklist and inspect each area in your home to know where and what to look for when it comes to identifying water damage.

One of the easiest ways to spot water damage is water stains on walls (and ceilings). Make sure to also check around door and window frames. An unusual stain could be a sign of a leaky pipe or drain inside the wall.

There are many things that can cause water damage to floors - overflowing sinks/bathtubs, flooding from faulty appliances and bad pipes. Hiring a water damage restoration company such as https://www.servpro.com/water-damage-restoration is the best way to pinpoint the exact cause of flooring water damage. The exterior of your home can also experience water damage. If there isn't proper drainage in the yard or if the gutter spouts don't carry runoff water far away from the house (or if the gutters leak), water can pool next to the house and if left untreated, cause even more damage to your home's structure.

Don’t let your home get to this point. One of the easiest ways to detect water damage before it destroys parts of your home is Made-Rite’s patented Snap-On Baseboard system. Any suspicion of water damage can be quickly alleviated by simply snapping the baseboard off the wall and checking for damage. This way, should your home be under attack from water, you can handle the issue before it creeps up your walls or under your floors. Made Rite’s snap on baseboards are made from PVC and are impervious to water damage. Should you snap the baseboard off the wall and find a potential problem, you can fix the issue then simply snap the same baseboard back into place. Keep your peace of mind with Made Rite’s Snap-On baseboards.