How to dry hardwood floors after flood, your hardwood floors are one of the most critical areas to care for after flooding damages your home. Although hardwood is a stunning and long-lasting flooring material, water damage can still occur.
Though they have many practical advantages, hardwood floors are a timeless design option but are highly susceptible to water damage. Beautiful wood planking can become a deformed, mold-prone nightmare in days due to leaky roofs, broken pipes, overflowing toilets, and other causes of unexpected floods. Drying hardwood floors thoroughly is crucial, and fixing water-damaged flooring involves more than just setting up a few towels and a fan. Even seemingly dry wood can eventually give way.
After a flood, hardwood floors must be adequately dried to avoid warping, buckling, and other expensive damage.
In this article, we’ll walk you through how to dry hardwood floors after flood.
How to Dry Hardwood Floors after Flood
Here is the step-by-step guide on how to dry hardwood floors after flood.
Safety First
Prioritize safety before starting the drying process. To prevent electrical risks, turn off the electricity in the affected area and wear safety goggles, rubber boots, and gloves. To guard against mould spores, you might also require a respirator mask, depending on the degree of the flood.
Assess the Damage
Determine how much damage has been done to your hardwood flooring first. Different strategies are needed for flooding, such as clean water, greywater, and blackwater. Seek expert assistance for cleanup if the floodwater is contaminated (greywater or blackwater).
Take out the furniture and any obstacles.
Remove any furniture, carpets, and other impediments from the impacted area. This will help shield your hardwood floors from additional harm while also enabling a more effective drying process.
Take Out Any Standing Water
Remove any standing water with a pump or wet/dry vacuum. Be patient, as even a little moisture can cause harm over time.
Open Doors and Windows
Permit as much fresh air to flow through the space as you can. Enough airflow will hinder the growth of mold and hasten the drying process.
Dehydrate
To lower the humidity levels in the flooded region, install dehumidifiers. This will lessen the likelihood of your hardwood floors absorbing too much moisture.
Make use of fans.
Place powerful fans throughout the space to encourage airflow. Aim them directly at the damp floor and move them occasionally to ensure even drying.
Warm the Space
To hasten the drying process, raise the room’s temperature to about 70–80°F (21-27°C). But don’t turn it up too high—too much heat can break or fracture wood.
Look for Wetness
Track the moisture content of the hardwood floor with a moisture meter. Once the wood achieves an acceptable moisture content—roughly 12% for hardwood floors—continue the drying process.
Get rid of baseboards.
Consider removing the baseboards if water has leaked under them to guarantee complete drying. Additionally, this will improve ventilation and stop mould growth behind the baseboards.
Refinishing and sanding (if necessary)
Your hardwood floors may exhibit minor warping or discolouration once completely dried. You might have to sand and repair the damaged area if the damage is extensive. If you need help with how to continue, seek advice from an expert.
Preventive Actions
Consider investing in water-resistant sealants or coatings for your hardwood floors to prevent further water damage. In addition, if you are in a region that floods frequently, construct flood barriers or a sump pump.
Determine the Type of Flooring and installation.
Inspection is always necessary When restoring water damage to hardwood floors. There are several different species of hardwood flooring, including oak, pine, maple, and cherry. The use of exotic species in flooring is growing. Because each type absorbs moisture to varied degrees, drying presents unique issues.
Additionally, flooring options mimic wood but are not made of it. Occasionally, these floors have a particleboard substructure underneath a laminate finish. It is almost tough to dry these floors once moisture seeps beneath them. Because the laminate is a vapour barrier, moisture is trapped beneath it, making it impossible to dry these surfaces. To assess the kind and state of your flooring, call a PuroClean water damage cleanup specialist for more assistance.
Experts will evaluate the hardwood flooring’s original installation technique as well. Initial installation techniques include floating, glueing, and nailing.
- Nails may be lifted from flooring that has seen water damage.
- If the substrate has been adhered to by adhesive, the moisture could cause the glue to come loose.
- A floating floor might not be made of natural wood but might be laminated—hardwood floors with tongue and grooves may “cup” after collecting moisture.
Repair the Refinish
The floor finish on the hardwood floor can sustain damage even after it has dried. Finishes like polyurethane and waxes can prevent the absorbed moisture from evaporating. Sometimes, they must be removed during the drying process to make room for moisture removal.
The movement of the wood product might cause the hardwood floor’s finish to check and crack if it cups slightly. This occurs frequently during the drying process. The floor can be refinished after it has dried thoroughly.
Drying hardwood floors is a speciality. Water damage to hardwood floors can be repaired by PuroClean restoration specialists, who are equipped with specific equipment and the skills to assess the variety of floor types correctly.
FAQs
Can I leave my hardwood floors to air dry after the flood?
You can open doors and windows for ventilation, but air drying is insufficient for hardwood floors. You must utilize dehumidifiers, fans, and other drying equipment to guarantee a complete and efficient drying process.
How long does it take for hardwood floors to dry after the flood?
The flooding, humidity, and temperature affect how long it takes to dry. Hardwood flooring can take a few days to a few weeks, on average, to fully dry.
What should I do if a musty smell appears after drying the hardwood flooring?
A musty smell suggests that mildew or mould is present. It would help if you took quick action on this matter. For mould cleanup, seek professional assistance. To prevent decay from growing further, ensure you have enough ventilation and dehumidification.
Conclusion
This article explains everything related to how to dry hardwood floors after flood, which will help you dry the hardwood floor.
After a flood, drying hardwood floors is an essential step in preventing expensive damage and mould formation. It is imperative that you move swiftly and carefully follow these instructions. Feel free to seek professional advice if the damage is significant or if you are dubious of your abilities to manage the restoration yourself. Hardwood floors that are properly dried and maintained can survive for decades, so the work is ultimately well worth it.
Uswa Abbasi