Hardwood Floor Water Damage

A new hardwood floor represents a valuable investment for your home, often adding value to the property as well as appeal to buyers if you are selling. Apart from the retail value, though, a wood floor looks good and feels good to walk on.

After the floor has been installed there will be a tendency to creep around in socks or bare feet for fear that it will become marked or scratched. It’s not really necessary because a hardwood floor is reasonably hard wearing. However, there are a few precautions that you should be mindful of such as the damage that high heel shoes or dragging furniture across it can cause.

One of the potential problems you might encounter with your wood floor is that it can be susceptible to becoming water damaged. When you hear the phrase hardwood floor water damage the thoughts may immediately turn to water falling onto the surface of the floorboards after a leak, spillage or flood. This is certainly a situation that can damage or stain the floor and would have to be addressed reasonably quickly.

Another common cause of water damage to a wood floor is the presence of humidity within the house. The damage that can possibly occur to the floor might happen slowly but the damage can be far more extensive. This kind of water damage takes place when the moisture from the air is absorbed into the wood and it begins to swell. The damage might present itself as cupping or buckling of the floorboards.

Whether the hardwood floor water damage is on top of or underneath the floorboards there are ways in which the damage can be repaired so we’ll have a brief look at the options available to you.

All of the water damage repair tips that are provided here are based on the assumption that the floor has not been subjected to continued water exposure for an extended time. If it has it is very likely that the floor is beyond being saved.

Localized water damage that has discoloured the floorboards or has caused the boards to begin to swell must be dried out immediately before any restoration work can be attempted. The source of the water damage should also be identified and, if necessary, removed.

When the affected boards have been dried, sand back any bumps or bubbles that were caused by the water damage. Start with a coarse grit sandpaper before progressing down to an extra fine grit doing your best to blend the edges of the damaged wood in with the unaffected wood. One the floor is smoothed over it should be treated with a stain and sealant so that it blends in as closely as possible to the rest of the floor.

Too much humidity in a room can cause big problems with your hardwood floor. If there is a lot of moisture in the atmosphere for an extended period of time it can be absorbed into the hardwood floorboards if they have not been sealed properly. The moisture can also get into the subfloor causing the wood to swell, resulting in warping, buckling or cupping. The result may be squeaky floorboards, lifted and loose boards or buckling of the entire floor surface.

In order to begin the process of restoring hardwood floorboards that have been damaged in this way, a dehumidifier will be required to reduce the humidity in the surrounding atmosphere. For best results the dehumidifier should be placed underneath a sheet of plastic to speed up the process. The aim of using a dehumidifier is to draw all moisture out of the swollen boards. As the floorboards dry out they will shrink back to their original size and the buckling or cupping should be reduced. It is unlikely that the floorboards will be unaffected by the water damage.

Once the dehumidifier has done its work on the floorboards and the air inside the room, lifted boards may have to be reattached to the subfloor and then the floor should be sanded back to an even finish again. It may be necessary to call in floor installation experts for some of the work required, but the process of drying out the room can be done yourself.

Every situation is different and the possibility of performing a restoration on a water damaged hardwood floor may be dependent on the quality of water that damaged the floor, the length of time that the floor was exposed to the water or the state of the subfloor itself. If you are in doubt it is advisable to contact a water damage specialist for advice.