Tips for Restoring Wooden Floors After Water Damage

Many American homes have wooden flooring. Unfortunately, wooden floors can get damaged easily and quickly if water seeps in from the attic, the basement or other areas of the house. Read how can you restore your wooden floor, below.

Wood has a natural tendency to swell up as it stores water, and if left untreated, it starts to rot too. That is why one needs to keep a close eye on wooden flooring for early signs of water damage. A plumbing leak or excessive rain can cause water to seep into a home, causing severe damage to the wooden floor. That is why you need to learn some basic restoration tips to put the shine back into your floor. Follow these steps if you want to make your floor look as good as new.

Restoring a wooden floor post water damage

Step 1 -- The first thing that you have to do to restore your wooden floor is drying it completely. Dry it well, so that there is no extra moisture left in the boards. Mop the floors and ventilate the rooms so that any excessive water is dried out. Once the floor is dry, remove loose particles and inspect closely to spot the signs of rot.

Step 2 -- Recognize the signs of damage. To see this, take a close look at the stain on the surface. The stain of damaged wood will have black or white cloudy marks surrounding the original water spill site. Once you have marked the damaged portions on the floor, apply cleaning solution to treat it.

Step 3 -- You can clean the damaged portion of the floor yourself with a soft fabric cloth dampened with a mild adhesive and warm water. You can use car polish or a dab of toothpaste, just keep it mild. Scrub gently to get rid of the damage inside and if the surface is too sensitive, use a sponge instead.

Step 4 -- To clean the cracks in the floor, you can add a dab of epoxy resin-based substance to problematic areas. You can apply the substance with a bendable putty knife and level the surface. Once the substance is applied, it must be left to dry for several hours. Be sure to always follow any packaging directions.

Step 5 -- After the surface is completely dry, you must treat it with fine-grit sandpaper.

Step 6 – After you sandpaper the floor, it is time to add sheen to the floor. For this, add a light oil-based primer coat on the floor. This coat needs a few hours to dry nicely.

Step 7 -- For the final finish, you can either paint the floor or add a coat of wood finish. The main idea is to blend the damage in the material with the rest of the wood.

For that final professional touch, you can also get a floor-waxing expert to touch up the entire room.
Water damage can occur in any home, anywhere in the United States, but the damage from natural sources like hurricanes, floods and thunderstorms occurs often in the Gulf Coast area, Texas being one of the suffering states. That is why if you are in Texas and your home has suffered from water damage, following these steps will help you to save your wooden floor from further water damage Houston residents along with the residents of other Texas cities always have the choice of using the services of professional water damage companies to help them restore their homes.

The writer is a damage restoration expert with ServiceMaster Advantage, the leading experts in water damage restoration Houston is among their primary areas of operation.