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Question

Asked 12/19/2010

Hardwood floor water damage

I have finished hardwood floors in my house and water has caused several boards to pop. I have located the water problem, what if anything can or has to be done for the boards? Will they dry out and reset?

 
 
 
 
 
Answers

Answer 1/5 - Submitted 12/19/2010

Oh, they'll dry out but I doubt if they'll straighten out. Wood flooring is using kiln and air dried to about 7% moisture. In this case, you may have to put in a claim for water damage and let the homeowners insurance pay to have them replaced by the pros. They are a real PITA to replace and one some slip could ruin more of the floor.

 
 

Answer 2/5 - Submitted 1/27/2011

Will they dry out: yes, provided they are no longer sitting in or exposed to water.
Will they 'reset': no, there will probably be some discoloration and most likely some degree of warping depending on how much water / for how long they were exposed.

 
 

Answer 3/5 - Submitted 1/27/2011

If these are real tongue and groove boards. Yes they will dry but they will be raised on the edges. A good floor re finisher can save them. Depending on how the floor was finished what substance...is how they can repair it.

If it was a polyurethane coat and the rest of the floor is intact they will need to do a process on the entire floor called screening then address that one spot then re coat. If the rest of the floor has wear spots and scratches you might want to consider having the entire floor done. The cost in an average size room for screening runs between $ 150.00 and $ 250.00. the cost of redoing the floor is a bit more then double.

If it is a varnished floor they can just attend to the spot.

If you had water damage that affected plumbing and the floor more then likely you can put a claim through on your insurance.

 
 

Answer 4/5 - Submitted 3/23/2011

No, the boards won't dry out enough to re-seat themselves; so, you will have to replace them with new boards. This is an easy process and shouldn't cost you a fortune because hardwood flooring materials are readily available. The trick is, finding a contractor you can trust, that will do a good job. Make sure you hire someone with great references.

(Hint - I find most great contractors are booked up at least a year or two ahead with work; so, if you find someone who can come right over, you might question why he isn't busy with other work.)

I come from a family of contractors and have done a lot of work myself, so most work that gets done around our house gets done by yours truly. You might check with your local Carpenters Union to see who the recommend, but don't let anyone start the job without making sure about the kind of work they do.

Also, never pay for job that is not done, and done right! Too many are taking the money and running these days and you need to protect yourself. I wish you all the best as you seek to address this issue.

 
 

Answer 5/5 - Submitted 11/25/2011

It also depends how much water leaked and what conditions house was in when it happened.
From my personal experience, I would recommend to pull out all the crooked boards and let the floor to rest and dry out depending on the size of the leak. Also if you have a basement , you should run your dehumidifiers as well to get the moisture from underneath and leave it running for a quite a bit.
From my one time experience with big leak over the winter when pipe did burst and almost 1500 gallons ran to the basement through the floor. After pumping all the water , we had to pull out the boards , which were buckled and cranked the heat up and dehumidifiers for almost 10 days 24/7 before we replaced missing boards and refinished floor.
There is most important thing with water damage on the wood, you cannot try to rush things ,otherwise you are opening can of worms.
Here is very good example. We started refinishing the floor, by the way, it was white oak and after roughing up the floor to the bare wood , next day we found out that it is still moving and after we had to wait 2 days , it buckled significantly. One thing I have learned is that patience is crucial thing and only one thing I would do differently and that is roughing up the floor on day one which would allow drying out the floor much faster with no room for an error.
If it is small water damage , it still should be treated with caution.
I hope this gave you more insight on how you want to deal with your problem.
With regards.

 
 
 
 
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