Repair Hardwood Floor Water Damage like a Pro: A Step-by-Step Guide

Act fast to save your hardwood floors from water damage! When water damage strikes, every minute counts. Hardwood floors are particularly vulnerable to moisture, absorbing it quickly due to their porosity. To prevent permanent damage and mold growth, prompt action is crucial. Successful repair depends on various factors, including the type of flooring, wood and finish, installation method, amount of moisture, and replacement value. Don’t delay – address water damage on hardwood floors promptly to ensure effective repair and prevent long-term consequences.

If you need help with hardwood floor water damage restoration? For efficient and stress-free repair of water damage on hardwood floors, consider hiring a professional disaster restoration company. Their expertise and specialized equipment ensure thorough drying and minimize damage. However, if you’re up for the challenge, you can try DIY repair. Check out our helpful tips below to guide you through the process of addressing water damage on hardwood floors and restoring your beautiful hardwood floor to its original state. Remember, prompt action is key to saving your hardwood floors from water damage!

How to repair hardwood floor water damage

• Wear protective gear such as gloves, rubber boots, and a mask.
• Stop the flow of water if the flooding occurred due to a burst pipe, washing machine failure or water heater failure.
• Turn off the power to the affected room until the water has been removed.
• Assess the damages before you begin the restoration to determine whether to clean up or replace the floor. Take photos, list damaged items, and show them to your insurance company.
• Remove any items (carpet, furniture, etc.) from the floor and take them to a dry area.
• Open windows and doors to allow moisture to evaporate more quickly.
• Start removing the excess water with a wet/dry vacuum cleaner or with mops and old cloth. If the water level is deep, use a pump to drain the water. Ask someone to help so you can finish the task faster and avoid further damage.
• Use dehumidifiers, heaters, and fans to speed up the drying process. Place them on top of an elevated surface in the flooded area and close the windows. Direct the fans towards the floor’s surface.
• Clean any debris and mud from the floor with a non-abrasive brush and detergent while the heaters, fans, and dehumidifiers are running. Rinse the floor with clean water and continue to dry the floor.

Act swiftly when dealing with a flooded hardwood floor to prevent permanent damage and mold growth from hardwood floor water damage! Time is of the essence. Contact a professional flood remediation company, like PuroClean, to quickly mitigate the damage and implement the best course of action for water damage on hardwood floors. Their expertise will help restore your floor to its original state. Additionally, learn essential tips on how to avoid hardwood flooring water damage in the future, ensuring your floor remains beautiful and durable for years to come. Don’t delay, prompt action is crucial!

How professionals restore hardwood floor water damage

Determining the type of flooring and installation

Inspection is always crucial when starting to repair hardwood floor water damage. Hardwood flooring comes in a variety of species, such as oak, pine, maple, and cherry. More and more exotic species are being used in flooring. Every type poses different challenges in the drying process because of the varying levels of moisture absorption.

There are also varieties of flooring that look like wood but are not. These floors will sometimes have a laminate on the surface and a particleboard substructure. When moisture seeps beneath these floors, drying is nearly impossible. The inability to dry these surfaces is due to moisture being trapped under the laminate, which acts as a vapor barrier. For more help, call a PuroClean water damage restoration professional to help you evaluate your flooring’s type and condition.

Professionals will also assess the initial installation method of the hardwood flooring. Original installation may be nailed, glued, or installed in a floating method.

• When nailed floors have suffered from water damage, the nails may lift.
• If the floor has been glued onto the substrate, the moisture may release the glue.
• In the case of a floating type floor, it may not be true wood and may be a laminated product. Tongue and groove hardwood flooring may “cup” after absorbing moisture.

Drying the hardwood floor (patience is key) 

Once the technicians determine the wood floor type and installation method, drying can begin. Using surface and/or subsurface drying methods and proper dehumidification, technicians can force airflow beneath the surface of the floor (in a positive or negative manner) to remove this moisture. It may also be necessary to access the floor from below for faster drying.

Effective drying of a hardwood floor is a slow process. It will sometimes take seven to 10 days for the floor to release enough water to halt the forced drying process. Removing all the absorbed water from the floor is expensive and nature must be allowed to assist in the process.

The hardwood drying continues until the wood’s moisture levels reach four percent of the floor’s dry standard. At this point, nature will remove the remaining water, although slowly — anywhere from three to six months. Education in this process is crucial for a successful job. Let the restoration professionals of PuroClean help you dry your hardwood flooring properly.

Repairing the finish 

Once the hardwood floor is dry, there may still be damage to the floor finish. Finishes, such as waxes and polyurethane, may inhibit the evaporation of the absorbed moisture. They will sometimes have to be removed in the drying process to allow for moisture removal.

If the hardwood floor cups slightly, the finish may check and crack due to the movement of the wood product. This is a normal part of the drying process. Once the floor is completely dry, the floor can be refinished.

Hardwood floor drying is a specialty. PuroClean restoration professionals have the knowledge to properly evaluate the many types of floors and have specialized equipment to repair hardwood floor water damage.

Learn more: Mold Removal: How to know if mold is in your walls

To summarize, here’s how to repair hardwood floor water damage: 

• Drain the excess water.
• Assess and document the damage.
• Clear the flooded area.
• Clean the dirt and dry the floor using air-blowing equipment and dehumidifiers.
• At the end of this process, if the floor shows signs of cupping and crowning, consult a hardwood flooring installer to get the floor back in shape.
• Alternatively, call a professional restoration company to do all this hard work.

For water damage restoration, contact the PuroClean experts!

Protect your home from hardwood floor water damage! Repair water damage on hardwood floor by contacting Puroclean, you’ll be able to repair hardwood water damage. Don’t risk your property

Even with all measures in place, water damage from washing machines can still occur, leading to mold growth that require removal. If you’re facing this issue, know that PuroClean of West Austin is ready to come to your property’s rescue. call us at (512) 953-2548