Is flooded lumber usable?

[John Raabe]

With all the recent floods you might be wondering if framing lumber that has gotten wet can still be structurally sound. The quick answer is... yes. "Framing lumber that has stood in water for 10 days or so will be structurally sound once it is dried out — if it was originally sound. However, swelling and shrinkage associated with wetting and drying can compromise the integrity of connections, delaminate plywood, and cause irreversible swelling of composites like particleboard and OSB."

For the full article click: http://www.jlconline.com/framing/q-a--does-flooding-damage-framing-lumber-.aspx