Water and Wood Flooring Don’t Mix: How To Minimize Water Damage

12/13/2021 (Permalink)

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Water and Wood Flooring Don't Mix: How to Prevent Water Damage to Your Floors

Some things are perfect together: peanut butter and jelly, and nuts and bolts, and socks and shoes, Water and wood flooring; however, do not belong together. What do you do when you find a water mess on your flooring? Learn more now so you don’t waste time searching the internet for help when you have a pipe burst in your building in Burnt Store, FL.

How Does Water Damage Wood?

Since wood is porous and absorbent, water easily fills those nooks and crannies where it wreaks havoc on structure. There are a few ways a wood floor may respond to water damage, and sometimes these symptoms are the first signs of a wet floor:

• Cupping. Just as it sounds, the wood curls upward on the sides, making a cup shape.
• Buckling. This is when the wood bows up and pulls away from the subfloor.

These problems happen whether you have hardwoods or laminates, and even if your floor is sealed. That’s why it is so important to practice routine plumbing inspections and maintenance to avoid damage from something like a water pipe burst.

What To Do When You Have a Leak?

The way to minimize damage is to remove the water as quickly as possible. Here are the key steps:

1. Remove water immediately by pumping, mopping or absorbing with rags or paper.
   
2. Dry the floor thoroughly with fans and special equipment to remove excess moisture.
   
3. Monitor moisture levels to ensure proper drying.
   
4. You may need to remove some boards to allow the subfloor to dry.

Repairing a wood floor may be possible even if some warping happened, but sometimes you may need to replace some or all of the boards. Do not make repairs until drying is complete.

Knowing When To Call for Help

Sometimes, the first sign of a water leak or pipe burst is the fact that your floor is wet or warping. Knowing how to clean the mess and when to call a professional water remediation specialist are important skills that can help minimize damage and costs.