The most frequently asked question received from prospective customers is how to remove pet urine odor from sub-floors?

Usually when the home owner is faced with the problem of pet urine odor on sub-flooring, it is either obvious from the sight of urine stains on the carpet or the presence of very strong ammonia-like urine odor. Usually the physical damages such as rusted out tack strips, moisture damage, warping and overwhelming odors are not realized until after the carpet has been removed and the flooring exposed.

Pet urine damage can spread under the carpet for a long time before the actual extent of the damage is known. When pets deposit urine on carpet the moisture is absorbed into the carpet fiber, carpet backing, carpet pad and then into the sub-floor. Since the sub-floor is harder and less porous than carpet & pad the absorption rate is slower. The urine spreads along the sub-floor as it reaches dry carpet pad, it then absorbed upward into the carpet backing. This is one reason urine stains on the carpet backing are larger than those on the carpet fiber side. When pet urine is deposited on the carpet it will dry in a couple days when it gets into the pad it could take several days to weeks for it to dry below the surface.

Walls are also subject to pet urine odor problems since both cats and dogs will mark on vertical surfaces cats will usually mark along baseboards and dogs will usually mark on corners & door jams, both will contest a urine spot or urine stain that does not belong to them. Wall papered and flat painted walls both will allow urine to be quickly absorbed into the drywall once this happens the drywall can swell, damage to baseboards can occur, corner beads can rust through, paint can blister & urine odor can permeate into framing members.

Pet owners contribute to the spread of pet urine damage to areas that were not originally affected. When pet urine stains are near walls pet owner should be careful not over treat as it could cause the drywall to become wet and absorb the moisture and urine odor. Over treating with do-it-yourself products can cause moisture to permeate into sub-flooring as well as concrete slabs.

Repairing odor damage from years of neglect is no easy task and certainly not a quick fix! the structure must be evaluated thoroughly finding the presence of moisture is the key, If the carpet is intact it gives us a visual map using the stains as a guide if no visible stains are present we will use a UV-black light or the backside of the carpet. Tack strips are another telltale sign of urine deposits as well as baseboards. We also employ electronic devices to find moisture so we can determine if it is necessary to bring in drying equipment to get the structure dry. There are some cases where we will have to remove drywall & some portions of the flooring to especially when moisture levels are very high or there is enough moisture damage to warrant removal.

Why cleaning does not remove pet urine odor? It takes years for the urine to permeate into the substrate and it would take no less time for cleaning products to get that deep. Cleaning the surface does just that but when it dries the moisture from the urine stain that has permeated into the sub-floor will return to the surface as the cleaning solution evaporates.

Why does the popular name brand oil based stain-blocker primer and pigmented shellac not work?

Shellac is insoluble in water, glycerol, hydrocarbon solvents and esters, but dissolves readily in alcohols and organic acids. The solvent most commonly employed is methylated spirit. Aqueous solutions of inorganic alkalis readily dissolve shellac. Usually the milder alkalis, ammonia, borax and sodium carbonate are employed to prepare aqueous solutions.

When urine leaves the body human or mammal it is slightly acid (or acidic on the ph scale). The urine begins to change as soon as it leaves the body. Uric acid in the dogs urine is broken down into ammonia and carbon dioxide. The ammonia is high alkaline on the ph scale. The reaction from the acidic urine and the ammonia creates alkaline salt crystals.

Name brand stain blocker: Originally developed to replace (PIGMENTED SHELLAC SEALERS) performs much the same way in regards to blocking “NORMAL” stains found on walls, not “FLOORS” and definitely not “CONCRETE”. The same chemical properties found in pet urine such as……uric acid, ammonia, carbon dioxide will brake down acrylic based primers. When sealing over old urine stains the stain blocker will be contending against methane gasses, sulfur, methyl mercaptans, and salt. The stain blocker does not have enough chemical resistance to withstand constant contact with these elements.

Our experience with these products come as a result of home owners & contractors that were not successful with the outcome of using these products. We usually have to remove the carpet, discard the pad, strip the old sealer from the surface, seal the concrete or sub-floor with our 2-component odor encapsulating sealer. After the sealer has dried we install new carpet padding and carpet after it has been cleaned and deodorized.

Before you attempt to do-it-your self call the manufacturer an ask if they have done any testing with sealing in urine odors and what risk or guarantees should be expected. If you decide to do-it-yourself test a small area first. Before you spend thousands on installing your new flooring smell every inch of the floor if you think you smell urine odor you will smell it again after you install the flooring.