Emergency Board Up Services in Reynoldsburg, OH

A broken window, a kicked-in door or a hole torn open by fire, storm or vehicle impact leaves a building open to rain, wind, animals and anyone walking past. Emergency board up seals those openings with plywood panels, lumber bracing and heavy plastic sheeting until permanent glass, doors or framing can go back in. The panel has to bear on solid framing around the opening, not on cracked trim or loose brick, or the first strong gust peels it off. Shards still hanging in a sash keep falling behind a board and can cut whoever replaces the glass later. Fire-damaged openings often hide charred studs and headers that will not hold a screw. A thin sheet tacked over the hole with a few nails stops the eye but not the weather, and it gives way to a pry bar in seconds.

A shattered pane with jagged glass hanging in the frame and wind whistling through is the call that comes in most. Openings on the ground floor, on an unoccupied property or facing an incoming storm matter most, because water and intruders get in overnight and the damage multiplies by morning.

• Window glass broken or missing after a break-in or storm
• Entry door splintered at the jamb and no longer latching
• Hole in a wall or roof from a fallen tree limb
• Vehicle impact through a storefront or garage wall
• Windows blown out or doors cut open after a fire
• Vacant building with openings the public can reach

A tape measure goes across every opening, edge of framing to edge of framing, and a screwdriver probes the jambs and header to find out whether the wood will hold fasteners or has rotted, burned or split. Loose glass is knocked out of the sash from the inside with gloved hands and a hammer, swept up and bagged so nothing drops later. Panels are marked and cut with a circular saw, sized to overlap solid framing by a couple of inches on each side. On openings where fasteners can go into the wall, the plywood is screwed through into studs or masonry anchors with an impact driver. Where the frame is weak or a clean exterior face matters, we set 2x4 strongbacks across the inside of the opening and draw the panel tight with carriage bolts through both. Roof and wall holes get plastic sheeting wrapped around furring strips and stapled down so it sheds water. Before leaving, each panel gets pulled and pushed by hand, and we walk the interior to confirm no daylight or draft remains.

Exterior-grade plywood or OSB, usually half-inch to five-eighths thick, covers most openings because it resists racking and a single sheet spans a typical window. Coarse-thread exterior screws are chosen over nails since they hold against wind suction and back out cleanly when the opening is repaired, leaving fewer split edges. Carriage bolts with large washers and 2x4 strongbacks clamp a panel from inside without driving fasteners through brick, stucco or finished siding. Tapcon-style masonry screws and a hammer drill handle block and concrete walls where wood screws would spin out. Heavy polyethylene sheeting, around six mil, wraps roof holes because it stays flexible and sheds water better than tarps tied with rope. A cordless circular saw and impact driver let the work go on after a storm knocks out power.

The ground-floor window side of the job is homeowner work; the upper-story, structural and fire-damaged side is not. A single broken window you can reach from the ground, framed in sound wood, can be covered with a sheet of plywood and a drill if you wear cut-resistant gloves and eye protection while clearing glass. The line comes at anything above a short stepladder, roof openings, a sagging header, or charred framing that may not carry load. Fire scenes also bring soot, wet insulation and live wiring, so any exposed or burned circuits belong to a licensed electrician, and many insurers want openings secured to a standard before adjusters arrive.

Covering one ground-level window takes a single panel and minutes, while securing a burned or storm-torn building means dozens of panels, roof sheeting and bracing. Condition of the framing around each opening decides which kind of job it becomes.

• Number and size of openings to cover
• Height of openings above grade or on the roof
• Wall material such as wood frame, brick or block
• Fire, rot or impact damage to studs and headers
• Storefront glass spans larger than a standard plywood sheet
• Debris, standing water or downed lines blocking access

A typical emergency board up job runs from about an hour to two hours, covering a few broken windows or a forced door on a house. Large commercial glass, multi-story openings, roof holes and fire scenes that need structural bracing usually stretch it to half a day or a full day. Screwed or bolted plywood generally holds for several weeks to a few months while repairs are arranged. Beyond that, unsealed plywood swells and delaminates, sheeting tears in the sun, and screws loosen, so boarding is meant to stay temporary rather than become the repair.

Walking the boarded openings weekly, and again after every storm, catches loosened screws, lifted sheeting and pry marks before they turn into new damage. A panel that rattles or shows wet edges needs attention that day.

• Tighten or add screws wherever a panel has started to shift
• Restaple or replace sheeting that tears or pools water
• Photograph each opening for the insurance claim before repairs
• Have a glazier measure and replace broken glass
• Bring in a carpenter to rebuild damaged jambs and headers