Are hardwood floors salvageable after water damage?

Hardwood floors bring an aesthetic and elegant appeal to your homes. If taken care of, they last for a lot of years. Unlike carpets and tiles, hardwood floors need low-maintenance. For cleaning them, usually, a mop and small quantity of soapy water serve the purpose. Clearly, hardwood floors prove to be a good investment for a home.

But apart from these cons, some things need to be taken care of for such a floor. One such thing is water damage. Hardwood floors are proven to be extremely sensitive to water damage. For identifying the water damage you need to look out for indications like cupping, which happens when the woods seems to be expanded. You can easily notice the board edges rising higher than its center. This can be caused due to moisture imbalances and spills.

Crowning is another indication of water damage. In this damage, the center part of the floor rises above the level of its edges. Water damage can also cause the floor to crack. The boards may separate and the wood might seem to be soft and week indicating another kind of water damage. These damages might seem to be irreversible but yes, wooden floors are salvageable even after it. This article will help you know what all can be done to repair it. However, if you want to hire someone to do it for you for timber floor drying, call us now.

1. Inspection of the source and reason of water damage

  • The most important step you need to take is to stop the increase of damage. For halting it, the exact source of water or moisture needs to be figured out.
  • You might need a device known as moisture meter for knowing the quantity of water, which has already seeped in the wooden floor.
  • The relative humidity or the RH also needs to be checked. Moisture imbalance is the cause of such a problem in this case.
  • This will prevent the risk of further damage to your wooden floor.

2. Repairing the damage

  • Obviously, after you have inspected the reason for the damage, you need to look for a way to repair it soon.
  • If you see Crowning damage, then sanding the wooden floor will solve the issue.
  • Use any fine grain variety of sandpaper for doing it.
  • If the damage is a Cupping one, sanding might help in most of the situations.
  • But before doing these, ensure that the source of moisture has been properly and completely dealt with.

3. Seek the help of an expert if the damage is quite evident

  • For negligible or lesser water damage, you can solve the problem yourself easily with the help of tips given above.
  • But if the damage is quite evident and harsh, then you should go for an expert help.
  • Many professionals exist in the market, which can help you by solving the wooden floor damage caused by water or moisture.
  • Also, if the water damage caused to the floor is too much or beyond repair, then in that case, the expert can easily let this be known to you.
  • You should not waste any effort, time, or money in trying to salvage the wooden floor and should get it removed and replaced with a new floor.

Hopefully, this article has enlightened you and now you certainly know how the water damage caused to the wooden floor can be dealt with ease. So, try these tips and save your wooden floor from any further damage. Make sure the source of water leakage or humidity is completely taken care of too.

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