Freshly repaired and repainted wall in an empty room, with moving boxes on the bare floor

Water Damage Repair: Putting the Home Back Together

Once the structure is dry, the drywall, ceilings, baseboards, cabinets and floors that came out have to go back. Call the free line to reach an independent local company that quotes the rebuild in writing.

Call (844) 906-3984 How It Works

Repair is the second half of a water damage job

Water damage repair is what happens after the water is out and the building is dry. During the emergency, a restoration crew cuts out wet drywall, pulls baseboards and carpet pad, and sometimes removes lower cabinets so the wall behind them can dry. When the moisture readings come back normal, those pieces have to be put back: new drywall taped, finished and painted, new baseboards, cabinets reset, floors replaced or repaired, and a ceiling patched where water came through.

Dominion Water Damage is a free phone line and does none of this work. It connects you with an independent, locally owned company in your area that handles repairs, or that dried your home and can quote the rebuild. That company gives you its own written price and is paid directly.

Room with the lower two feet of drywall removed after water damage, ready for new drywall

What usually gets repaired

Walls

Drywall cut out during drying is replaced and finished to match. In older homes with plaster, the company should say whether it will patch plaster or switch to drywall.

Ceilings

Stained or sagging ceiling board from a roof leak, an air handler pan or the unit above is replaced, and textured ceilings are matched as closely as possible.

Cabinets and counters

Particleboard cabinet boxes swell when wet and rarely recover. Counters can sometimes be lifted and reused on new boxes.

Tile floors

Tile itself survives water, but loose or hollow tiles may need resetting. Finding a match for older tile is the hard part, so ask early.

Laminate and wood

Laminate and engineered planks often swell at the seams and usually come out. Solid wood can sometimes be dried and refinished.

Doors, trim and paint

Hollow doors and pressed-wood trim swell and delaminate. Repainting a full wall or room usually gives a cleaner match than spot painting.

Do not close the walls too soon

The most expensive repair mistake is rebuilding over a wet wall. New drywall over damp studs or a damp slab traps moisture where nobody can see it, and in South Florida's humidity that is how mold gets started behind fresh paint. The EPA says damp materials should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth; a good company proves dryness with meter readings before it rebuilds, and gives you copies.

Ask the company to show you the final readings for each wall and floor before the drywall goes back. If anything still reads wet, the drying equipment should stay.

Kitchen with a lower cabinet section removed after water damage, waiting for repair

Condo repairs: who handles what

Florida Statute 718.111(11) splits condo repairs. Under the 2025 text of the statute, the association's policy covers the condominium property as originally installed, but excludes items inside a unit that serve only that unit: floor, wall and ceiling coverings, electrical fixtures, appliances, water heaters, water filters, built-in cabinets and countertops, and window treatments. Those are the unit owner's responsibility. An owner can also be responsible for damage caused by the owner's or a tenant's negligence.

For the owner

Report the leak to the association in writing, keep photos, and call your own insurer about your unit's interior. The restoration company can repair your unit's finishes once you approve its estimate.

For the association

Common elements and the structure are handled by the association and its contractors. Ask the manager before anyone opens a shared wall or touches building pipes.

Every declaration is different. The line does not give legal advice; ask your association or a Florida attorney if the split is not clear.

Getting a repair quote you can compare

Ask for the rebuild priced separately from the emergency drying, line by line.
Check what is included: drywall finish level, paint, baseboard style, tile or flooring allowance, haul-away.
Ask whether the work needs a building permit and who pulls it. Miami-Dade and Broward also sit in the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which has stricter rules for exterior products such as windows and roofing.
Check any license the work requires on the DBPR license search, by name or license number.
Keep in mind Florida Statute 489.147: a contractor working under a property insurance claim must give a good faith, itemized and detailed estimate before you sign a repair agreement.

For context, HomeAdvisor's 2026 guide lists drywall repair at $300 to $850 and floor repair at $200 to $550, and LawnStarter's 2026 guide gives similar drywall figures. Real quotes depend on the house.

Kitchen rebuilt with new white cabinets and wood-look flooring after water damage

About this line: Dominion Water Damage is a free phone line, not a restoration company. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local water damage restoration company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. You never pay the line. See how the line works.

Common questions

Is water damage repairable?

Most of it is. Drywall, baseboards, insulation, cabinets and flooring can be replaced, and framing and slabs usually dry out if the water is removed quickly. What decides it is how long things stayed wet and whether the water was clean. Materials that sat wet for days, or that floodwater or sewage reached, are usually replaced rather than repaired.

How long does water damage repair take?

Drying comes first and often takes several days. HomeAdvisor's 2026 guide says replacing drywall and fixtures can add a few more days, and full restoration with rebuilding can take weeks or even months when cabinets, flooring or materials have to be ordered. Ask the company for a written schedule.

Who fixes water damage in a condo?

Usually more than one party. Under Florida's condo law, the association generally repairs what it is required to insure, while unit owners are responsible for items such as floor, wall and ceiling coverings, electrical fixtures, appliances, water heaters, built-in cabinets and countertops. Owners can also be responsible for damage caused by their own negligence. Check your declaration and ask your association.

Should the same company dry and rebuild?

It can, and it keeps one company accountable for the whole job. Some homeowners prefer a separate contractor for the rebuild. Either way, ask for the rebuild quoted separately and in writing, and check any license the work requires on the state's DBPR website.

How much does it cost to repair water-damaged drywall?

HomeAdvisor's June 2026 figures put drywall repair at about $300 to $850, or $1.50 to $3 per square foot to replace, and ceiling repair at $450 to $1,600. Real quotes vary. The line never sets prices; the company you are connected with quotes its own.

Ready to rebuild? Get a written quote

Call the free line any hour. Say what happened and whether water is still coming in, and the call is put through to an independent, locally owned restoration company that serves your area. That company looks at the damage and gives you its own price.

Call (844) 906-3984

Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by an automated assistant, in English or Spanish
Free to call. You never pay the line.
The company you are connected with inspects, quotes, does the work and is paid by you or your insurer, as you arrange.