If you have a water-damaged hardwood floor, you don't have to replace it, or call cleaning professionals. However, you must dry the wood immediately to avoid mold and cupping.
Hardwood floors are lovely, but they are prone to water damage. Sealed or waxed flooring is still not water resistant. Here are tips to dry a wet hardwood floor.
Prepare to Work
For this project, you need:
Before you dry the floor, locate and fix the source. Flooding is commonly caused by roof leaks, busted pipes, or water coming in under the doors.
If there are furniture and carpets, remove them, and set them out to dry. Detach vent covers to help air circulate better. Don't make any major repairs until the floor has completely dried.
Check for sub floor water damage from the basement or crawlspace. If you find water, drill several small holes with the drill along the ceiling where the moisture is to help small amounts water get out. For large amounts of water, drill out a square section.
Run a moisture meter over the area. A moisture meter will give you an idea of how much water needs to be removed before the floor can dry.
Soak Water
Soak as much water as possible with the wet.dry vac, and empty the bag as needed. Continue sucking up moisture several minutes even when no water is visible, since some leakage may have gotten into the pores.
To enhance drying, open windows, if possible, and set up fans or dehumidifiers. Remove two rows of the center floor to help dry the sub floor. Wood floors should dry slowly.
To prevent bucking or cupping, set a heavy object on the wet portion. Take the object off, and nail the boards back in place when the moisture levels return to normal, which is commonly eight percent to fourteen percent. It could take several weeks for the floor to completely dry.
Clean the Floor
Clean the floor with a non-sudsing cleaner and scrub brush.This helps to remove any residue left by water. Use the wet/dry vac to remove the water. Repeat the process with a wood cleaner.
As the floor dries, inspect it for mold. If you find mold, combine six teaspoons of washing soda and a gallon of water.
Rinse the floor with clean water and a rag or mop, and soak up the water. Nail the boards you removed back in place, and patch the holes or square.
Share11 April 2017
After struggling for months to deal with a personal injury, my home was left in shambles. It seemed like no matter what I did I just couldn't keep things clean enough, so I started looking for a way to get a helping hand. I was able to find an excellent cleaning service that really took their job seriously, and they worked hard to make sure that I had everything I needed. Within a few appointments, my home was like new, and I knew that I owed it all to them. This blog is here to help anyone who might be wondering about cleaning services to take care of what they need to.