Marriage Saving Water damaged hardwood floor question

[joe-ejs]

Hello. So...I came home last night from Thanksgiving travels for the last 5 days to a water issue. Looks like my tank overflowed onto my hardwood floor. My ATO was empty. I figure about 15 gallons of water leaked total. Not sure just yet what happened, except the water landed on the floor . I have a section of flooring about 3 ft wide of hardwood planks and 20 feet in length (direction that the water traveled). The boards are buckled slightly at the joints. Surface was already dry when I got home and saw it last night. Is there any way I can fix them? Will they flatten out again as they dry? It is not horrible, just enough to see it and feel it if I walk on it. Enough to cause a "Get out of the hobby ASAP" if the spouse so inclines to push that.

Not happy at all....any suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[Weasel1960]

It depends on what else absorbed water. Assuming tank is on first floor, check in basement to see if any water damage to subfloor and floor joists. First step would be to run a dehumidifier on both levels to draw the moisture out, then assess final damage.

 

[joe-ejs]

It depends on what else absorbed water. Assuming tank is on first floor, check in basement to see if any water damage to subfloor and floor joists. First step would be to run a dehumidifier on both levels to draw the moisture out, then assess final damage.

Thanks for the info. It is on first floor with Crawl space underneath. I do have a dehumidifier in the crawl space already, so that is good. Will need to crawl in there today and take a look for any water standing. It has new vaporbarrier so I can just soak up any standing water, if there is any.

What is your experience with hardwood? Will the boards return to normal in terms of the slight cupping or am I stuck with the current condition?

 

[Cell]

Sounds like a floor sander rental is in your future.

 

[Weasel1960]

Thanks for the info. It is on first floor with Crawl space underneath. I do have a dehumidifier in the crawl space already, so that is good. Will need to crawl in there today and take a look for any water standing. It has new o so I can just soak up any standing water, if there is any.

What is your experience with hardwood? Will the boards return to normal in terms of the slight cupping or am I stuck with the current condition?

Good to know on dehumidifier, probably helped a lot from the start. Subfloor soaking up may still be an issue. Vapor barrier is to keep moisture from coming into house from below. Not sure on hardwood, would expect some discoloration, agree that will likely need to be sanded down. Might want to talk with a contractor who specializes in hardwood floors.

 

[ScottJ]

Sounds like a floor sander rental is in your future.

I second that. But give it at least a couple weeks to dry out. You may get lucky and have them flatten back out, but wood takes a LONG time to dry. If you try to sand and refinish before the moisture content is equal to the rest of the floor, you just cause more problems.

 

[Cell]

Maybe non-chalantly add an area rug over the area?

 

[snorklr]

places like Serve Pro do water damage remediation...iirc they have systems of mats and fans to pull moisture out of wood floors...my buddy used their stuff after hurricane sandy put 2 ft of saltwater in his house...idk if this could be paid for by insurance ....maybe too small...but i think he bought some of their stuff and did it himself as it was cheaper than having them do everything

 

[joe-ejs]

places like Serve Pro do water damage remediation...iirc they have systems of mats and fans to pull moisture out of wood floors...my buddy used their stuff after hurricane sandy put 2 ft of saltwater in his house...idk if this could be paid for by insurance ....maybe too small...but i think he bought some of their stuff and did it himself as it was cheaper than having them do everything

So does anyone know if I get a dehumidifer / fan / etc...which will pull all the moisture out...will the planks reset themselves as they dry out?...here is a picture of my situation...this runs about 20ft across the room..

 

[TriggerFinger]

So does anyone know if I get a dehumidifer / fan / etc...which will pull all the moisture out...will the planks reset themselves as they dry out?...here is a picture of my situation...this runs about 20ft across the room..

My gut says no, the wood is swollen and warped now. Real hardwood can be sanded and re-stained to match.

 

[ScottJ]

So does anyone know if I get a dehumidifer / fan / etc...which will pull all the moisture out...will the planks reset themselves as they dry out?...here is a picture of my situation...this runs about 20ft across the room..

Um, probably not. BUT it doesn't look too awful to sand out. Getting the color to match could be a challenge, though. Do you know what wood it is, dark stained Oak or Pine maybe? To me, it looks like a laminate, but I'm sure it's just the lighting.

I would also get any rugs off the area, they only will slow down the drying.

PS... If it is a laminate, there really wouldn't be much you could do, especially sand! DON'T sand a laminate!

 

[blaxsun]

I don't think they're going to flatten out either, no. I like the idea of an area rug as well.

 

[Weasel1960]

Agree with @ScottJ let dry out for a couple weeks. Either get a small dehumidifier that you can plug into that room or rent a commercial sized one like a restoration company uses, but trust me the commercial ones are very loud. You will know it’s done when no more water is collected.

Also agree they will likely not settle back in place, and don’t sand if laminate, I had to replace my laminate floor when a toilet leaked a couple years ago. If true hardwood I think it is still doable by sanding and refinishing.

 

[dennis romano]

Sorry, but they are done. Once they cup like that, they are ruined. There is now a void between the bottom of the board and the underlayment. What about the plywood underlayment? Most likely, that is shot also. If that starts to de-laminate, you are really in trouble. If the surface damaged wood is laminate, the whole floor must be replaced. You cannot pull up just a section. It is next to impossible to find a new match. If it is stained hardwood, the damaged boards must be pulled up a replaced. A flooring pro can do this and match the stain. In either case, you still have to check the underlayment.

 

[Cell]

I think we need an update on how the wife reacted.

 

[Chrisv.]

So in case it isn't clear, while you're shopping for an area rug you should also be buying some insane Christmas presents. Good luck!

 

[ReeferMonkey]

LOL! Soo buy an area rug and take some personal days to work on replacing boards while the wifes at work ROFL I LOVE IT! Something out of a sitcom!

 

[ReeferMonkey]

LOL! Soo buy an area rug and take some personal days to work on replacing boards while the wifes at work ROFL I LOVE IT! Something out of a sitcom!

I say hire a pro to repair and be honest with the wife AFTER solution in place... Clearly explain why its not going to happen again cuz you learned you needed a float valve for your auto top off and now you have it.

 

[dennis romano]

I am trying to salvage for reuse around 400 sqft of 2 1/4 x 3/4in oak t&g hardwood flooring.

My question is – are there any tips for removing the ~2400 nails that this would contain? The nails are a flat L shaped tapered nail.

I can remove them with a hammer … this would be be effective but slow. I have also heard of folks using a dremel and grinding off the nails … has anyone tried using a metal cutting blade on a table saw, setting the guide at 3/4in, and going to town (while wearing some serious protective clothing)?

Thanks,

 

[dennis romano]

I am trying to salvage for reuse around 400 sqft of 2 1/4 x 3/4in oak t&g hardwood flooring.

My question is – are there any tips for removing the ~2400 nails that this would contain? The nails are a flat L shaped tapered nail.

I can remove them with a hammer … this would be be effective but slow. I have also heard of folks using a dremel and grinding off the nails … has anyone tried using a metal cutting blade on a table saw, setting the guide at 3/4in, and going to town (while wearing some serious protective clothing)?

Thanks,

You cannot remove oak flooring and re-use. It is a hardwood and will split when you try to remove it.