You love your hardwood floors, but water damage can put a serious damper on their beauty and functionality. When is water damage irreversible, and when is it a sign that your floor needs restoration?
Types of Water Damage on a Wood Floor: Cupping vs. Crowning
Water damage can be as simple as dark spots on your hardwood floors or as severe as full buckling. When evaluating water damage, it’s vital to understand the types of potential damage:
- Cupping: When there’s moisture under your hardwood floors, the untreated lower edge of the board may absorb more moisture than the upper edge, resulting in the board forming a cup-like shape with raised edges. If your hardwood floor is cupping, you can likely restore the floor.
- Crowning: If your hardwood floor is crowning, the surface of the board has had too much water exposure, or you’ve tried to sand a cupped floor before the boards were fully dry. Structural drying and refinishing boards can often restore these floors.
- Buckling: Buckling is when the boards absorb so much water that they lift entirely off the subfloor, often taking the fasteners with them. This type of water damage usually happens in the face of catastrophic events like flooding or a broken water heater. If your hardwood floor is buckling, it generally requires a full replacement.
How Wood Type Affects Water Damage in a Hardwood Floor
Different types of wood have different cell structures and durability levels, which can affect their susceptibility to water damage:
- Durable options include: Engineered waterproof hardwood, oak, maple, ash and hickory.
- Less durable options include: Non-waterproof engineered hardwood, cherry, and some types of bamboo.
Reviews of engineered hardwoods have found that these products often have similar durability to solid hardwood. However, the type of wood is not the only factor. It also depends on how the wood was processed, what kind of sealant was used, and how much water the wood absorbed.
Is It Better to Restore or Replace Floors With Water Damage?
It’s sometimes possible to repair or restore a hardwood floor after water damage. However, there are several aspects to consider.
The first is the type of water. If your hardwood floor absorbed clean water, from a burst water inlet pipe, for example, the potential for repair and restoration is much improved. If it absorbed mildly dirty water, the chances are still good, but not great. On the other hand, if you’ve experienced a broken sewer pipe or floodwater from an intense rain event, you may need to replace the flooring. Contaminated water can leave residual odors, as well as pathogens and mold spores.
The other factor is time. If you found the affected flooring quickly, restoration is more likely. If the flooring suffered from a long-term leak or the water covered it for an extended period, the chances of the floor being able to be restored are much lower. In short, floors that have absorbed contaminated water or any fluids for a longer time frame should generally be replaced rather than restored. A professional assessment can use moisture mapping to accurately determine the extent of the damage.
Contact the Experts for Floor Drying and Water Damage Expertise in Rhode Island
If your wood floor has water damage, the best approach is to get a professional evaluation. An expert can tell you exactly how bad the damage is and what your best approach would be. For an expert evaluation of hardwood floors in the Rhode Island region, contact Rhode Island Restoration today.
