Hardwood Flooring Water Damage

Pet stains on wood floors.

Hardwood flooring water damage.

Wood floors are susceptible to moisture and many may have been damaged prior to the single event that finally required action to be taken. It is crucial to find out the original source of water before replacing the water damaged flooring. No homeowner wants to hear the two dreaded words. Identify the source of the water.

However hardwood flooring does have one draw back it can t stand up to prolonged exposure to water so if water is allowed to stay on a hardwood floor the wood will be damaged either stained or warped. This material is highly vulnerable to water damage and swells when it gets soaked ruining the integrity of the material. In fact most people avoid buying solid hardwood flooring for fear that they will have to deal with repairing or replacing a water damaged floor. Methods for dealing with hardwood floor water damage depend upon the severity of the damage.

I speculate that this is a water damaged rotted floor that was sanded and re finished without pulling up damaged flooring and without cleaning the area below. Hardwood flooring retains water and if it is left to dry on its own then the moisture retained has more time to sit causing greater damage. One of the most frequent problems we re called in to address is water damage to hardwood floors. Like solid hardwood floors damage to engineered hardwood floors can be the result of either a one time water event or an ongoing issue.

Not only do they look good they re easy to care for resist wear and they re even eco friendly. Water damage to hardwood floors can be from minor to major. It can be caused by a potted plant that leaks onto the floor from a burst appliance supply hose or from major flooding. Many times the damage is the result of a combination of both.

By the time a chicagoland homeowner calls us for help the problem will almost always require refinishing and often the replacement of some or all of the damaged wood. Dry quickly water is hardwood floor s worst enemy which means it s important to get water up quickly whether it is a small spill from a cup toppling over or a large amount of water due to a leak or. Stains are deep enough into the wood that almost no amount of sanding will remove them. When water sits on top of hardwood floors it can permanently ruin the hardwood as the wood will absorb the water through its pores causing warping and discoloration.

The truth is water is really harmful for any kind of wood flooring that isn t water resistant. Pet urine stains on wood floors pet stains can ruin wood flooring. Hardwood floors are a great choice for home flooring. Once you identify the source take some steps to resolve the source of water that is damaging your hardwood floor.

Water damage to your hardwood floor.