subject: Tips on preventing water damage to hardwood floors [print this page] Homes of today are much more partial towards finished flooring materials. The success of the restoring such parts after a water-related disaster depends on several factors: response time, flooring type, replacement value, type of wood, type of finish, amount of moisture, etc. A restoration professional has to properly evaluate the floor and implement a plan to salvage as much material as possible. Time remains the most crucial factor, because more exposure to untreatedwater damagewill result in more damage. Hardwood floor, which comes in a variety of species such as oak, maple, cherry, usually absorbs moisture slowly, due to its porosity. Inspecting each individual species is a challenging task. Certain floors, which imitate hardwood, are actually laminated surface and a substructure of particleboard, are practically impossible to dry off, as the laminate surface acts as a moisture barrier, and cannot be separated.
A true restoration professional will be aware of the different installation processes and the differences between them. For example, in case of nailed flooring, moisture may cause the lifting of nails from the substrate by distortion and cupping, while in glued floorings, moisture causes the release of glue from the substrate. In case the floor is of a floating type, the flooring might be laminated and not true wood. Tongue and groove hardwood floorings may "cup" due to moisture.
Airflow can be forced beneath the floor, with the use of surface and/or subsurface drying and dehumidification, to remove this moisture. Accessing the floor from below may be required. Effective drying of hardwood requires a long time. A restoration specialist is aware of the process and utilizes nature's help in the drying process. The process is continued until moisture content reduces to 4% of the dry standard of the floor, after which the remaining moisture evaporates slowly but naturally. The time required might extend even to six months. After the drying, finishes such as waxes are removed to allow for moisture removal. If the hardwood cups slightly, the finish might crack due to wood movement. A specialist is aware that it is a normal occurrence, and after drying, the floor can be re-finished.Remember the key for any damage mitigation specialist is to prevent mold damage.
Hardwood floor drying and restoration requires proper knowledge and skill, to adequately evaluate the floor type, its installation and then to proceed in a proper manner so as to salvage as much of the hardwood flooring as possible, using special equipments and procedures as demanded by the circumstances.
Tips on preventing water damage to hardwood floors
