Heavy water is not always responsible for damaging the hardwood flooring; sometimes little leakages can also damage the floor. You just have to be extra careful when you have wooden floors installed at home.
As hardwood flooring get damaged with water, here are few step by step process to make repair the hardwood flooring an make it look like a new one again.
Identify the water source immediately
Repairing starts with identifying the water source. After you have seen that your hardwood floor has damaged with water, immediately take some action to prevent this problem. Find out the water source and take immediate steps to seal it completely. If you do not seal the source, you may find problem to clean up the mess. So start by sealing the water source to stop water supply and stop the leakage.
Dry out the floor
After you have identified the water source, the next step is to dry out the floor. Drying out the floor is necessary to repair the hardwood flooring. When you see that water has damaged the floor, drying out will take away all the moisture from the flooring. Open all the windows and doors to increase the flow of the air in the room. As the air enters the room, the drying process will start. You must use some other drying equipment to dry the flooring. You can turn on the HVAC system of the house to fasten the drying process.
Wait until floor dries out completely
When you see the floor is drying, you would want to move on to next step. Do not move to the step even if you see a dry floor. Hardwood floor may look dry, but as the wood is quite thick, it might be wet from inside. Do not hurry and let it cool and dry properly. If you proceed with the wet floor from inside then you will not be able to repair the floor properly. It is better to wait for little more time to let floor dry completely.
Install a dehumidifier
Next step to repair the damaged floor is to reduce the moisture inside the wood. Install a dehumidifier for faster results. Dehumidifier is a home appliance that reduces the moisture in the room. Installing a dehumidifier will help you in reducing the moisture not just from the outside but inside also. If you want to dry it out quickly, you can install dehumidifier on top and bottom of the floor. More the air and heat, quickly the floor will dry.
Replace the raised wood from flooring
After you have completely dried the floor, you will see some area of the flooring that has risen up a little bit. You cannot do anything with that area but replace it. Take some new hardwood and replace the risen parts with it. You can completely hide the risen parts and get a new look for the flooring. Let professionals do this work or do it yourself if you know he procedure to replace them.
Re paint the flooring
Next step is to provide new look to the flooring. You can re paint the floor with the same color or you can try a new shade also. If the color of floor has become dull and rough, then it is better to paint it with a little darker shade. It will hide all the tear and wear and will provide a new look to the floor. If you want to make it shiny and better, you can laminate the flooring to add that extra shine and make it safe for years.
Water damage can be very detrimental for a hardwood floor, and requires careful consideration to set it all right.
