Hardwood floors are outstanding in every way, with only a weakness for water as even a small amount of water can deal a lot of damage. The history of wood flooring dates back to the 1600s in colonial America, where early settlers used local species like pine or oak to construct their homes. Over time, wood flooring evolved through the 18th and 19th centuries with advances in woodworking techniques and the introduction of tongue-and-groove milling.

Are you one of those homeowners whose wooden floors have been damaged by water? If so, make sure to read this article, as we will be explaining how to restore water-damaged floors.

How to Restore and Repair Water Damaged Wood Floors

It would take atleast 1-2 weeks to restore and repair the wood flooring. Here’s a step-by step approach you should follow:

Step 1: Assess the damage.

Wood is a hygroscopic material; hence it can absorb and retain any moisture in the environment. Knowing how to spot the signs of water damage will help you catch the problem before significant damage occurs. Cupping and crowning are some clear signs that there is an issue somewhere.

Cupping

Crowning

Crowning occurs when the edges of the floorboards slope downwards, and the middle raises, giving the floor an arched appearance. Crowning typically indicates that the moisture content at the top of the floor is higher than at the bottom.

When humidity and moisture content in the air rise, the wood absorbs the excess moisture and swells, causing crowning. Crowning can result from moisture content in the air and direct water exposure to the wood floor. Examples include mopping the wooden floor, leaks from appliances like dishwashers, entry and exit areas where wet shoes contact the wooden floor, or the area where you place your pet’s water bowl.

All these examples involve water directly on the wood floor, potentially causing crowning and further damage.

Discoloration and Staining

Discoloration and staining are clear signs of water damage on wood floors. When water seeps into the wood, it alters the natural color, often creating dark spots or patches that stand out against the unaffected areas. These spots can appear noticeably darker, indicating where moisture has penetrated. Staining occurs when water carries contaminants or reacts with the wood finish, leaving marks that are hard to remove. Over time, it can weaken the durability of the floor.

Mold Growth

Mold starts as small black, green, or white spots on the surface of the wood. These spots can quickly spread, forming larger patches that give the floor a blotchy, stained appearance. In some cases, mold can also appear fuzzy or slimy, depending on the type and severity of the infestation. The affected areas might feel soft or spongy underfoot, indicating deeper damage to the wood. Additionally, mold often comes with a distinct musty odor, which can be a strong indicator of its presence even before it’s visibly noticeable.

Step 2: Determine if your floor requires repair or replacement.

Damage to wood flooring may vary depending on the amount of time the floor was wet. The moisture content in typical hardwood floors ranges between 6-12%, while a flooded floor can have a moisture content of up to 40%, which is why the damage can be severe.

The extent of the damage depends on how long the floor was exposed to water. If the wooden floor is left to dry on its own, more moisture is retained. Determining whether to repair or replace the flooring will depend on the following factors:

• The total amount of time the wooden floor has been exposed to water.
• The type of wood flooring, whether it is engineered hardwood or solid hardwood.
• The severity of the damage and whether water has penetrated down to the subfloor.
• The flooring finish, as stains on isolated floorboards may have mellowed over time, making it difficult to replace such sections.

If there is minor damage, saving the floor is possible by replacing the affected floorboards, sanding, and refinishing the entire floor. However, if the damage is severe and extensive, the whole floor may need to be replaced, and sometimes the subfloor may also need replacement.

Step 3: Find the root of what’s causing the issue.

Before starting any repair on your hardwood flooring, it is crucial to determine the source of the water causing the damage. Problems that damage wood floors may occur due to persistent moisture over a long period.

External sources are the first place to check. Stains on window and door frames indicate that water is seeping under the door or into the window’s framing. Around windows, you may also notice signs of water on the wall, such as staining or peeling paint.

Internal sources of water include radiators that might be leaking, as well as refrigerators and dishwashers. These appliances often have clogs in their filter housing, causing a persistent drip of water that may find its way down the floorboards and damage the planks. It is essential to perform visual inspections to identify these leaks and fix them to avoid further damage.

Step 4: Fixing water-damaged floors

The sooner you attend to your damaged floors, the better the chance of saving them. The first step is to gather all the tools and materials you will require to aid your repair. These tools will include:

• Shop vacuum
• Bucket
• Stiff brush
• Squeegee
• Rubber gloves
• Fans or dehumidifiers
• Disinfectant (bleach solution or trisodium phosphate)

Remove the surface water

Clean the floor and treat moldy areas

To thoroughly clean the floor, you will require a mild detergent combined with a compatible disinfectant such as Mr. Clean. Add the detergent and disinfectant to a bucket of warm, clean water and stir to ensure an even mixture.

Using a stiff brush, scrub the floor’s entire surface and all the related woodwork (stairs, baseboards, newel posts, etc.). As you use the brush, it is important to rinse it frequently inside the bucket. Keep the water usage minimal, and do not pour any water on the floor since we do not want to add excess water to our current problem. Ensure you take the right amount of time while scrubbing and remove all the mud, dirt, and grime as any material left will cause bacteria to grow.

In the areas that show signs of mold growth, clean them with TSP (trisodium phosphate), which will help eradicate mold growth. Scrub all the affected areas with the cleaner, ensuring the mold is gone together with its discoloration. Rinse the area with clean water and then dry the surface with a cloth.

Run drying equipment and wait until the wood fully dries

It is advisable to dry the floor steadily, slowly, and naturally, as drying wood too quickly may cause it to weaken and crack. Also, never apply direct heat to hardwood floors as it can result in problems like splitting and cupping. Equipment such as dehumidifiers and heaters are also great at sucking up the excess moisture from the hardwood flooring, producing excellent results.

Open doors and windows to allow the outside air to fill the room and dry your surface. A large fan or a carpet drier can be placed on a door opening, and fan airflow out through the window. However, if the outside air is more humid than the inside air, close the doors, windows and run the fans.

Sand the floor

On the completion of drying a wooden floor, you may notice that some of the floorboards are bending upwards or downwards, otherwise known as cupping. A drum sander or a good orbital sander should be used to do heavy sanding to reduce some of the cuppings.

However, areas that are significantly cupped cannot be sanded flat again. Face nailing the floorboards back down is the only option in these cases. Sanding is a demanding process, so to avoid frustrations, mistakes, and damage, hiring a professional is highly advised.

Stain and refurnish

Mold growth may also appear under the paint on the wooden floor, which creates a tricky problem. Your only option is to remove the entire furnish as the paint creates a seal that can trap water between the wood.

First, scrape the paint off and use an abrasive cleaner to scrub the wood. Dry the floor with the method outlined earlier, and when completely dry, you can then refurbish your hardwood flooring.

Conclusion

The most recommendable way to protect your hardwood flooring from water damage is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. Always make sure to use the appropriate sealant and reapply it quite often. Find and fix any areas with water leakage to address the problem early.

You should always perform routine maintenance and manage any water damage signs immediately to ensure the floor stays nice and beautiful in your home. Hiring a water damage restoration or reconstruction company to address the problem is also advisable to ensure they do not return.

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.