Hardwood floors add beauty to our homes. We love the way that hardwood floors look and how easy they are to clean when compared to other types of flooring. Saving hardwood floors after water damage is possible but requires quick action.

Extraction and evaporation of standing water

If the water supply is from a burst pipe, make sure to turn off the water valve to prevent more water damage. Stopping the flow of water can mitigate the extent of the damage. Of course, if the water comes from a flood, then that might not be possible.

One of the first things that the team will do is extract the excess water using specialized vacuums and pumps. Draining the water from the site allows for the drying process.

The drying stage can take anywhere from two to six days depending on the extent of the damage and the square footage of the hardwood flooring. Our team works to draw out moisture that can be deep within the flooring.

Hardwood flooring needs to be completely dried, or the damage from the water can cause the floorboards to buckle or grow mold. Two to six days might seem like a long time to dry the hardwood flooring, but it is actually the perfect amount of time.

Hardwood flooring should not be dried in a rush because this can cause the wood to crack. Slow drying ensures that the wood is dried evenly and completely without further damaging the wood.

Restoring hardwood floors

Once the standing water has been removed and the flooring has been dried, the next step would be to sand and refinish the hardwood flooring. Some boards might still cup or buckle after water damage. These boards could be nailed down or might need to be replaced if the damage is extensive.

When it comes to saving hardwood floors after water damage, the key is handling it right away. Do not sit on it and let it go for too long. Wood absorbs water through its porous surface and becomes more damaged the longer the wood is exposed to water. Floorboards warp and discolor, and the potential for mold is guaranteed.

Wood is an organic material. Mold can grow on laminate flooring and within carpet fibers, but it would be at home within hardwood floorboards. The mold can also become deep-seated within the floorboards, so an external treatment would not be enough to eliminate the mold. This is one of the reasons that immediate action is so vital if you want to save your hardwood floors.

The other reason is that hardwood flooring will begin to buckle. The boards will lift up from the floor and no longer lay flat. Once the hardwood boards warp, replacement occurs. Taking immediate action lessens the risk of warped floorboards.

Restoration timeframe

It is also important to note that Sometimes it can take up to 30 days after drying is complete for the woods to completely equalize.  Sanding too early can lead to what they call crowning. Make sure before you sand a floor that was wet, you have given it time to acclimate again.

Call the C.A.R.E. Services water damage experts, who are available 24/7, for immediate action to save your hardwood floors. The sooner the call is made before the hardwood floors begin to buckle and warp, the easier it will be to save the hardwood flooring after water damage.