Water Damaged Hardwood Floors New Jersey
Hardwood Floor Repair
Schedule a Virtual Consultation with our specialists or contact us at 908-232-6600 for immediate, customized advice on our flooring rejuvenation techniques. Hardwood & tile floors require special attention during, water damage clean up and restoration drying companies. Many people believe that they must replace their hardwood floor when it suffers water damage. However, this isn’t always the case. Responding to water-damaged houses before floors buckle allows us to save the floor in most cases. Our Inject Dry system, combined with wood floor repair drying panels, saves homeowners and insurers thousands in replacement costs.
How does Wood Floor Repair work?
To fix water damage, we have placed panels on the hardwood floor and sealed them all around, as shown in the picture. We have connected the other end of the line to the larger yellow suction line. This line connects to the Inject-dry system, forming suction underneath the panels. Air will travel from between the hardwood floor through the grooves between the boards, bringing with it any moisture or water trapped. This system combined with very dry air from our LGR dehumidifiers will pull the moisture right out of the wood. When dealing with any water loss, a fast response time is a critical factor in mitigating the loss, and it is especially important in the case of hardwood floors. The longer they stay wet, the greater the chance that they will buckle. So do not wait call a water damage repair technician to fix your hardwood floor.
Here is the difference between cupping and crowning.
Water trapped between wood floor and subfloor due to remaining moisture leads to cupping under two conditions. Cupping happens when the wood’s top dries faster or its underside absorbs moisture, causing expansion and raised edges.
The biggest mistake that can be made is to sand the floor flat while it is still retaining moisture. This leaves the wood with thinner edges than the center.
After the floor completely dries, the edges shrink and flatten back into position. However, since the top of the edges have been sanded, the center of each strip is higher than the edges. This results in a crowned floor.
HomeOwner Hint:
If your hardwood or tile floors suffer water damage, make sure to ask your insurance company and your restoration company about their handling methods. If they tell you that replacement is necessary, challenge them by asking, “Why not dry them instead?” The industry has long favored a system of tearing out and replacing materials, feeding dumpsters, rather than opting for wood floor repair. However, those days have ended, and drying in place has become a viable option! After drying most hardwood floors, they can settle back to their pre-loss condition, often requiring no refinishing at all!
Repairing Water Damaged Hardwood Floors
Any number of circumstances, from children consistently getting out of the bathtub without drying off, to a leaky dishwasher, to an outright flood from a broken pipe, can cause water damage to hardwood floors. Whatever the reason for the discolored or disjointed floors, the first step to fixing the problem is always to act quickly.
Many smaller issues are avoidable and also easily repaired. To avoid minor damage to wood floors, be mindful of wet mopping, excess water at entryways, and overzealous settings on humidifiers. This excess water can cause crackling of the finish or even expansion or cupping of the wood.
As soon as you notice an issue with your hardwood floor, you need to act immediately to dry it out. If necessary, remove water from the floor with a water extraction vacuum. To dry the flooring, open windows and use a dehumidifier or fans to pull out the moisture. Do not apply heat to the wood as this can cause further damage. Given enough drying time, the floor may contract on its own.
There are a number of different types of water damage that can occur to hardwood floors, and each requires a different method of repair.
A white stain or haze typically indicates minimal damage to the surface of a hardwood floor. To remove this spot, use light pressure to buff the finish of the wood with a mild, abrasive cleanser and a cotton cloth. Suggested cleansers include whitening toothpaste or automotive polish.
A black stain can indicate greater issues, such as mold growth. To repair, first, make sure that the flooring is dry. Then, tape off the area so that it is isolated during the repair process. Working just up to the edges of your tape, remove the wax and finish using steel wool and sandpaper. Mix oxalic acid crystals in hot water and brush the mixture onto the stained area. Let it dry, brush it off, and repeat this process until the stain is removed. Stain the area to match the rest of the floor, and finish with sealant.
After severe water damage, it is likely that wood floors will have to be replaced. Wood is especially susceptible to mold growth, so you need to ensure that the floor and sub-floor are completely dry. Unfortunately, even getting these floors completely dry at the time does not mean that you may not experience issues with mold at a later date.
If boards have cupped, popped, or cracked, this may be an indication that the sub-floor experienced damage as well. If the sub-floor is damaged, it will also need to be replaced before you can install new hardwood flooring.
Initiate the transformation of your space immediately. Arrange a Virtual Consultation with our wood flooring specialists, or contact us at 908-232-6600 for direct support and customized advice tailored to your specific flooring requirements.
Servicing the New Jersey Areas Of
Alpine, Berkeley Heights, Bernards, Bernardsville, Cedar Grove, Chatham, Chester, Closter, Cranford, Cresskill, Demarest, Edgewater, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Essex Fells, Fairfield, Far Hills, Fort Lee, Franklin Lakes, Glen Rock, Hillsborough, Ho Ho Kus, Kinnelon, Livingston, Long Hill, Mahwah, Mendham, Millburn, Montgomery, Montvale, Montville, Morris, Mountainside, New Milford, New Providence, North Caldwell, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Paramus, Ridgewood, Saddle River, Scotch Plains, Short Hills, South Orange, Summit, Teaneck, Tenafly, Teterboro, Upper Saddle River, Warren, Washington Township, Westfield, Westwood, Woodcliff Lake, Wood-Ridge, and Wyckoff.