Guide to Protect Water Damaged Hardwood Floors

Timber floors, currently account for more than 25% of the flooring market, according to the Australian Timber Flooring Association (ATFA). Natural timber flooring is beautiful, functional, and resilient, and will last a lifetime if properly cared for.

Hardwood floor damage is one of the most common issues that most homeowners experience, and it is caused by a variety of factors. Although this unfortunate experience does not necessitate replacing the wooden floor to address the damage, several current restoration procedures can be used to reduce the amount of injury and prevent new damage to your home's lovely wooden flooring.

When dealing with water damage, it is vital to act fast. You will read some observations and advice to define, prevent, and reduce the amount of damage caused by water to your wood flooring.
 

Water Damage to Wooden Floors and Restoration

Small leaks that are cleaned promptly will not harm your wood floor. Other variables that can harm your foundation, particularly parquets floor, include continual high humidity, condensate leakage, moisture under the floor, excessive leakage, or water leakage that penetrates the gap between the wood boards.

When the floors are wet in liquid, the boards flex and become lighter. Excessive stress between laminate boards can induce bubbles or swell in woods or laminates. Temperature fluctuations cause these floors to shrink and expand.
 

Tips for Removing Water-Damaged Hardwood Floors

 

• Wear gloves, rubber boots, and a mask.
• Stop the flow of water if the flooding was caused by a burst pipe, a faulty washing machine, or a faulty water heater.
• Turn off the electricity in the affected room until the water is gone.
• Before you begin the restoration, assess the damage to determine whether to clean or replace the floor. Take photos, make an inventory of the goods that have been damaged, and show them to your insurance carrier.
• Remove any items from the floor (carpet, furniture, etc.) and place them in a dry location.
• Allow moisture to dissipate more quickly by opening windows and doors.
• Begin by eliminating extra water with a wet/dry vacuum cleaner or mops and an old cloth. If the water level is high, use a pump to drain it. Request assistance so that you can complete the operation more quickly and avoid more damage.
• To fasten the drying process, use dehumidifiers, heaters, and fans. Close the windows and place them on top of an elevated surface in the flooded area. Point the fans at the floor's surface.
• While the heaters, fans, and dehumidifiers are running, clean the floor with a non-abrasive brush and detergent. Continue to dry the floor after rinsing it with clean water.

 

How Professionals Restore Hardwood Floor Water Damage

1. Determining the sort of flooring and installation

When beginning to hardwood floor water damage, it is always important to do an inspection. Hardwood flooring is available in a range of species, including oak, pine, maple, and cherry. Exotic species are becoming increasingly popular in flooring. Because of the various levels of moisture absorption, each variety presents unique obstacles in the drying process.

When moisture seeps beneath these floors, drying becomes practically impossible. Moisture trapped under the laminate, which functions as a vapor barrier, causes the inability to dry these surfaces. Professionals will also evaluate the initial installation procedure of the hardwood flooring. Initial installation can be nailed, glued, or floated.

• When water damage occurs to nailed floors, the nails may lift.
• If the floor was cemented to the substrate, moisture may cause the glue to come loose.
• A floating floor may not be actual wood but a laminated product. After absorbing moisture, tongue and groove hardwood flooring may "cup."

 

2. Drying the Hardwood Floor

Drying can begin once the water damage restoration specialist has determined the type of wood floor and installation process. Technicians can drive airflow beneath the surface of the floor to remove this moisture using surface and/or subsurface drying technologies and correct dehumidification. It may also be required to gain access to the floor from below in order to speed up the drying process.

Drying a hardwood floor is a time-consuming process. The floor may take up to 24 hours or more to release enough water to stop the forced drying process. It takes time to remove all of the absorbed water from the floor, and nature must be allowed to aid in the process.

The hardwood drying process is repeated until the moisture levels in the wood reach 4% of the dry standard of the floor. Nature will drain the remaining water slowly – ranging from three to six months.
 

3. ing the Finish

Even after the hardwood floor has dried, the floor finish may still be damaged. Finishes such as waxes and polyurethane may prevent absorbed moisture from evaporating. They may need to be removed throughout the drying process to allow moisture removal.

Because of the movement of the wood product, the finish on a hardwood floor may crack. This is a common occurrence throughout the drying process. The floor can be refinished once it has dried completely.
 

Conclusion:

When met with a water-damaged wood floor, your first thought is likely to be to fix it yourself. Water damage can be expensive, especially if it affects your wood floor, but a hardwood floor is an investment that must be carefully protected. Doing everything you know about cleaning can help, but if it appears that you won't be able to fix your floor right away, it's best to consult skilled Professional Water Damage Cleaning in Melbourne.

Professionals like Lotus Cleaning Melbourne will arrive quickly and utilize cutting-edge equipment and procedures to remove water damage. They monitor and document the drying process to ensure that your property is entirely dry.

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