Welcome to my {mostly} annual restoration trends update. I have spent more than 30 years working in the restoration industry which gives me a relevant perspective on the business of restoration. The following list is meant to help restoration contractors assess their business strategies – and just be an overall interesting read. I believe these issues will be the top drivers of change, not only in 2019, but into the future.

Thanks to Sir Isaac Newton and a story about an apple, we know that what goes up must come down. In the land of flooring adhesives, however contradictory to gravity, what goes down must come up. Many types of flooring are installed with adhesives and in most situations flooring adhesives should be removed following removal of the flooring.

The water damage restoration industry recognized standard of care, the ANSI/IICRC S500, contains a significant amount of information related to the use of meters during a drying project. The most important content is primarily in two sections; Section 10 Inspections, Preliminary Determination, and Pre-Restoration Evaluations, and Section 13, Structural Restoration.

In the disaster recovery and restoration world, the media used for blasting is determinative to project outcome. Many historic buildings have delicate surfaces that often require a softer media. In the cases of disaster recovery, how to remove soot, coal, char and other unwanted items without damaging the structure has always been the center of discussions.