Hardwood is a timeless, beautiful, and durable option for home flooring, but it is especially susceptible to water damage. Anyone who has lived with hardwood floors for long knows that wood flooring planks are highly vulnerable to even minor changes in moisture, with seasonal gaps often appearing as humidity changes throughout the year. Exposure to larger amounts of water can result in significant damage, especially in cases where the water is allowed to sit for prolonged periods. Keeping your hardwood looking excellent means recognizing when damage has occurred and knowing the best options for restoration.
Signs Of Damage
Many people are surprised to learn that water damage isn't always immediately apparent. The dark, ugly blemishes that most people associate with water-damaged floors will usually appear later, but early signs are generally more subtle. Remember those gaps that may appear with changing seasons and interior humidity? Those are the result of minor moisture changes in the wood. Even small amounts of water exposure can warp planks or cause them to expand, resulting in noticeable changes to the shape of the planks. While it doesn't take much to cause damage of this kind, it does usually require that the wood remain exposed for long enough to absorb moisture.
Remember that any change in color means that the wood has absorbed a significant amount of moisture. At this point, your wood has likely been exposed to water for some time, even if the source is not apparent.
Fixing The Problem
Before restoration of your floor can begin in earnest, you must first identify and correct the problem. This process can be easy enough if you know the source of the water, but it is all too common for homeowners to discover wood warping or changing color when there is no apparent source of moisture. Problems such as these are typically the result of leaking pipes below the floor, but they can sometimes be caused by excessive pipe "sweating" or even water from a leak elsewhere in the home finding its way beneath your floor. In many cases, damage to your hardwood floors often means that your subfloor has suffered damage as well.
Restoring Your Floor
Once you have resolved the source of the water damage, it's time to move onto restoration. Hardwood restoration is a complex process best performed by a skilled craftsperson. Depending on the extent of the damage, you will likely have several potential options for bringing your floors back into perfect condition. If the damage is minor, it may be possible to sand and refinish the affected area to restore uneven planks. Refinishing is also sometimes an option in cases where only slight discoloration is present. For most severe cases, you will generally need to replace the affected planks and evaluate the subfloor below them.
Water-damaged and discolored hardwood floors can be unsightly, but you don't have to live with them. A water damage restoration contractor can help you to find an option that fits your budget and will bring your hardwood floor back to its natural shine.
When you build a home or make a large addition to the home, you will hire a general contractor to oversee the project and do the majority of the work. This individual may subcontract some small tasks to specialists, such as window installers and HVAC techs, but for the most part, it is their responsibility to ensure everything is built according to plan.
As you can imagine, general contractors have very varied jobs. No two days are alike! On this website, you will learn more about what general contractors do, which will come in handy the next time you need to hire one.