On December 5th, a treacherous thunderstorm hit Lexington and the surrounding area. Andre, our owner (and my dad), woke up early to drive his mother through the rainstorm to the Cincinnati airport. Over breakfast, he told me that “this was the worst storm he’d ever seen in Kentucky” — he’s lived here for nearly two decades.  

We had to make a few repairs at one of our client’s homes, so Andre asked when we should arrive. That’s when we received the tragic news: their basement had flooded up to their knees!

Mitigating Damage

We rushed over to help our clients identify the problem and hopefully jerry-rig a solution to prevent further flooding. Water leaves a trail, typically causing discoloration along its path. So, we carefully searched the basement for any signs of entry along the walls. We found none.

To combat flooding, the home has a beaver system: a series of trenches under the flooring that direct water to the home’s dual sump pumps. The rainstorm broke one of the pumps, and with so much water entering the home, the lone pump couldn’t handle the volume, causing the whole basement to flood! 

Since we couldn’t help, we directed our clients to Puroclean. They handle disaster clean-up and mitigate further damage to the home. Puroclean removed the vinyl flooring and set up large fans to dry the walls and subfloor, preventing mold growth. Once everything was dry, Puroclean replaced both sump pumps with two larger pumps, each capable of extracting more water. Together, the pumps will protect the home from future floods (even if one of them breaks).

Restoring the Basement

The peel-and-stick vinyl floor left a sticky residue, turning the once-livable basement into a dreary den. Our client’s holiday guests were arriving on December 22nd. With only a week to return the basement to a livable state, it was time to get to work.

Puroclean had already removed the old floor, so our job was straightforward. We began laying the new laminate floor in the bedroom corner. Once we had a few rows of flooring down, we pushed the floor until there was a quarter-inch gap between the floor and walls. As the seasons change, the floor will expand and contract, so this small gap ensures the floor fits year-round.

Quickly cutting around obstacles with our jigsaw, we finished the installation in less than three days! We fastened a baseboard and quarter-round molding to each wall — even the concrete walls using construction adhesive — masking the quarter-inch gap. And, after a fresh coat of paint to the new moldings, the basement looked good as new!

Before we left, our clients wanted to add their touch to the basement by painting a blue-ish gray accent color on a few walls. While we were working, they also found a new rug and a few lamps to complete the space. With all the furniture (new and old) moved in, we packed up our things, wished our clients Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, ecstatic to have finished the project just one day before their guests arrived!