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s 18 p Dry Out Your Home laminated wood, such as ply- wood, may dry at different rates, and that may cause the layers to separate. Some contaminants will stay in the wood after it dries, but not as much as stays in flooded wallboard. Wood studs and sills will be covered by new wall- board and painted, so they are well removed from human con- tact. Therefore, wet wood studs and sills do not need to be replaced if they are allowed to dry properly. Dr.ln 'he Ceiling. .nd Wall. Ceilings Check for sagging ceilings. Drain them carefully as shown in Step 2. If the floodwaters went above your ceiling, you should replace it if it is made of wallboard. A plaster ceiling will dry eventual- ly, but if it has too many cracks or sags, you will have to tear it down and replace it. Remove any wet insulation in the ceiling to allow the joists to dry. Walls Remove water trapped within your walls. To check for water, take off the baseboard. Stick an awl or knife into the wall about 2 inches above the floor Gust above the 2 X 4 wood sill plate). If water drips out, cut or drill a hole large enough to allow water to drain freely. (Use a hand or cordless drill or saw to avoid shock.) If you are going to replace the wallboard anyway, you don't have to be neat: use a hammer to knock out a hole. If your walls are plaster, a knife won't penetrate them. Drill a hole above the sill plate to drain the water. (Use a hand or cordless drill to avoid shock.) Do not use a hammer or chisel on plaster because the plaster could shatter. In a newer home, you may have metal sill plates. A metal sill acts as a gutter at the bottom of thewall cavity. Drill a hole at floor level to drain the water, using a hand or cordless drill. Repeat the process to drain all the wall cavities. Depending on the spacing between studs in your walls, make a hole every 16 inches or every 24 inches. Watch