Salt Lake Board Up Specialists provides emergency board up services throughout Salt Lake for homeowners, landlords and businesses. We secure damaged doors, shattered storefront glass and exposed garage openings after vehicle impacts, vandalism or break-ins. Our team also boards up vacant, foreclosed and abandoned properties to keep squatters and trespassers out. Contact us for a free quote today.
What Are the Signs a Property Needs an Emergency Board Up?
If someone could climb through an opening or weather could blow into it, it needs covering the same day, not whenever the glass company calls back. Shattered or missing glass, kicked-in or splintered doors, fire-vented windows or roof holes, and openings torn by storm debris all leave a building exposed to theft, rain, and injuries from broken glass. Most insurance policies also require you to prevent further damage, so an uncovered opening can complicate your claim.
- Shattered or missing window glass
- Kicked-in or splintered doors
- Fire-vented windows or roof holes
- Storm-torn openings from debris
Do Boards Get Screwed Straight Into the Window Frame?
Not usually. On most jobs we cut exterior-grade plywood, typically 5/8 inch or thicker, to overlap the opening, then screw it into the surrounding framing so the sash and trim take as little additional damage as possible. On doors and ground-floor windows of a vacant building, we run carriage bolts through the board to 2x4 cross braces inside, so nobody can back the fasteners out from the street. That bolt-through setup is what keeps a fire-damaged house from being stripped of copper and appliances in the first week.
Why Is Water Still Getting In Behind the Plywood?
It's usually the top edge. Plywood mounted flat against lap siding leaves gaps that let rain run down behind it. On a roof hole, the tarp has to tuck under the shingle course above rather than lie on top, or water simply follows it inside. A sheet of poly stapled behind the board or a bead of sealant along the top edge fixes most leaks, but a slow drip left alone soaks drywall and insulation and can start mold within a couple of days.
Can a Board Up Happen Before the Insurance Adjuster Arrives?
Yes, and it should. Adjusters treat securing the property as reasonable mitigation, and leaving a house open for days while you wait on an inspection is how a fire claim becomes a fire-plus-vandalism claim. Take photos and video of every opening before the plywood goes up, and keep the board-up invoice. That documentation is what the adjuster works from.