In most businesses and homes in today’s times, carpets are being replaced by finished flooring materials due to their popularity. When it comes to the restoration process as a result of water damage, the success becomes dependent on a few factors: the type of flooring and it’s finish, the response time, how it costs to replace vs. restore, the type of wood, the way it was originally installed the amount of moisture it absorbed and the amount of previous damage to the floor. A master restoration company should be capable to appraise the floor and take into account all factors during evaluation to facilitate implementing a plan to rejuvenate it back to it’s original state prior to the water damage.

A professional restoration company should be available at any time of the day or night and respond immediately to the water damage emergency. Time is the most crucial component when it comes to water damaged floors, since the longer the floor remains wet and damaged the greater is the chance of lasting damage, such as warping or cupping. Hardwood floors have very low permeance or porosity and for that reason they will absorb water more slowly but also release it more slowly than a product like carpeting. Examination is always critical when inspecting a water damaged hardwood floor. There are many different species of hardwood flooring such as oak, pine, maple, and cherry to name just a few, and more exotic species are also being used for hardwood flooring. Since each species of wood absorbs and releases water and different rates, each species poses different challenges in the drying process. Some floor coverings even look like wood, but aren’t and they can add further challenges to the untrained eye. Some are fabricated hardwood floors with a laminated wood-like surface, but particle board underneath and when water seeps into these floors and the particle board, drying is not even an option because the laminated surface acts as a vapor barrier which inhibits the evaporation of moisture. A well trained restoration expert should be able to properly evaluate the water damaged floor before trying to dry it out.

Another important factor to consider when assessing the water damaged hardwood flooring is the method of installation. Typical installation methods include glued flooring, nailed down flooring and the floating method of installation. If a hardwood floor has been glued down, the water absorbed by the floor may cause the glue to be released from the substrate especially if its water based glue which is becoming more and more popular. If the floor is nailed down to a substrate, water damage can cause the nails to pull away from the substrate if enough cupping of the hardwood occurs. If the chosen method of installation is a floating floor then it may not be a true solid hardwood and may be a laminated floor product. A certified restoration expert should be cognisant of these dissimilar methods of installment.

Some hardwood flooring (normally tongue and groove flooring) can cup when water has been absorbed during a water loss. Contrary to popular beliefs real hardwood floors can be salvaged with the proper combination of air movement and dehumidification. With the use of state of the art drying methods and dehumidification, the trapped moisture can be removed by either positive or negative air flow beneath the surface of the wood. Drying out a water damaged hardwood floor can be a slow procedure and can take between 7 and 10 days to dry effectively. To speed up the drying process a restoration professional will also know that drying the floor from beneath is a necessary step if a crawl space is accessible. Although it is necessary to dry the floor out as well as possible, a restoration expert will also understand that nature needs to lend a helping hand in order to remove all the trapped moisture.

A professional restoration company will know that it is only necessary to dry the hardwood flooring to within 4% of its dry standard, which can be measured from an unaffected area of the same floor. Mother nature will cause the release of the remaining trapped moisture from here on out and the restoration expert can remove his equipment. This remaining natural process can take up to 6 months to dry completely at which point any cupping will have settled. This is a necessary step to prevent over-drying and cracking. Informing all involved is a crucial step in this process, and the restoration expert will need to explain this to the homeowner and all other parties involved. If the floors are not allowed to settle after drying and are sanded to remove the cupping, crowning could result 6 months later once it’s dried completely.

Damage to the finish of the hardwood flooring may be evident once the drying is complete due to the movement of the wood floor (cupping or separation). This is a perfectly natural symptom of the drying process and should not cause too much alarm. Some finished like polyurethane and waxes may sometimes need to be removed in the drying process since they can slow down or halt the drying of the moisture from the hardwood floor. An experienced restoration professional will know that the true value of the flooring is in the actual wood product and not it’s finish.

Drying a hardwood floor is a specialized procedure and an experienced professional will hold the required expertise to assess the diverse aspects of the wood floor and understand the right plan of attack to affective dry it out.

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