Replacing Water Damaged Hardwood Floors

You may sand refinish and re coat the wood floor to repair water damage but is not a permanent solution.

Replacing water damaged hardwood floors. After drying a wood floor you may have some concave or convex floorboards. For many water damaged wood floors the best way to repair the damage is to eliminate and replace the affected boards and then to refinish the entire floor. In general water is an enemy to wood floors. The truth is water is really harmful for any kind of wood flooring that isn t water resistant.

Most floors use a tongue and groove design. The proper way to replace planks in a wood floor takes time and the expertise of a craftsman. Sand water damaged wood flooring. The best way to avoid and fix water damage for wood floors is to get them repaired.

However hardwood flooring does have one draw back it can t stand up to prolonged exposure to water so if water is allowed to stay on a hardwood floor the wood will be damaged either stained or warped. Water damage to hardwood floors can be from minor to major. Step 1 remove stains if the water just managed to stain the hardwood then you can remove the stain without a lot of other work. Fixing the water damaged floor by replacing damaged flooring.

If your hardwood floor is in generally fine shape with only a damaged spot or two it is easy and economical to make small repairs by replacing a strip or plank of flooring. Step 1 to remove a smoky white haze or a white spot buff the finish with a soft cotton cloth and a very mild abrasive such as whitening toothpaste auto polishing compound or tobacco ash mixed with mineral oil until the stain disappears see a. It can be caused by a potted plant that leaks onto the floor from a. For this you will have to take out the affected planks and replace them with new boards.

However heavily cupped wood cannot be sanded down flat. Because tongue and groove boards are locked in place removal involves cutting out the middle of each damaged board. In fact most people avoid buying solid hardwood flooring for fear that they will have to deal with repairing or replacing a water damaged floor. Not only do they look good they re easy to care for resist wear and they re even eco friendly.

Hole through both ends of each damaged board. Here s how to repair the damage. Hardwood floors are a great choice for home flooring. Replacing damaged flooring by weaving in new planks.

Repair hardwood floor water damage. This is called cupping heavy sanding with a drum or orbital sander can actually take down some minor high areas. You ll find hardwood flooring at a local millwork shop lumberyard or floor covering store. Here are a few steps that you can take to repair a hardwood floor that has suffered water damage.

You can also fix buckled areas of flooring and avoid having to completely refinish your floors.