Can You Repair Water-Damaged Hardwood Flooring?

Are you dealing with warping, water stains, or swollen floorboards?

While you may already be worried that this means replacing the flooring, there may still be hope.

Many types of water damage are repairable—especially if you catch problems early on.

This guide will walk you through how to assess and address moisture damage in hardwood floors—as well as how to prevent it.

Specifically, we’ll address:

• Do you need floor repairs or replacements
• How to address water-damaged floors
  • Discoloration or water stains
  • Mild warping
  • Gaps
  • Cupping, crowning, or buckling
  • Rotted wood
• How to prevent flooring moisture damage
• The importance of prevention

Let’s start by learning what types of water damage can be fixed, and what needs to be replaced.

Do you need floor repairs or replacements

Whether you’re looking at repair or replacement depends on the type and the extent of the damage you’re dealing with.

You can repair wood floors if the damage is primarily superficial. This includes damage such as cracks, scratches, discoloration, mild warping, and gaps that restoration companies, home improvement professionals, or an informed DIY-er can fix by sanding, refinishing, patching, etc.

However, while superficial damage can be repaired, further damage (like wood rot) can impact the subfloor, and thus, the structural integrity of the flooring. In cases like these, the floor should always be replaced.

If the damage is coming from a wet subfloor, you’ll want to:

1) Tear up the wood floor. You’ll need to determine why the subfloor is wet—whether it’s been caused by rising humidity levels or moisture intrusion.

 

a) If it’s a leak, proceed with these steps once it’s stopped and any excess water is cleaned up.

 

2) Allow the subfloor to dry.

 

3) Consider the best type of flooring for that area, whether that’s hardwood flooring, laminate flooring, or engineered wood flooring. (Tip: Select more water-resistant floors for rooms where spills and high humidity levels are frequent, like the bathroom or kitchen).

 

4) Always measure the moisture content of the new flooring before, during, and after installation to prevent moisture-related issues.

Because flooring replacements are so expensive, it’s a good idea to repair what you can.

How to address water-damaged wood floors

If your floors are water-damaged, you might be dealing with the following problems:

• Discoloration or water stains
• Mild warping
• Gaps
• Cupping, crowning, or buckling
• Rotted wood

Let’s learn whether these issues need to be repaired or replaced, starting with discoloration and stains.

Discoloration and water stains

Discoloration, as long as it’s not caused by extensive water damage, can be fixed in the same way as scratches. Just sand the floor with a sander or sandpaper and apply stain and your floor should be good as new.

Light water stains can be fixed by rubbing the spot with mineral oil and buffing it out with a dry cloth after letting the oil sit overnight.¹ Meanwhile, darker stains can be removed by applying a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water to the affected area and letting it sit for ten minutes.² If the stains persist even after applying these DIY repairs, you can sand and stain the floors just like you’d do to remove discoloration.

Mild warping

Mild warping in wooden floors, such as slight cupping or crowning, is the result of excess moisture. It can occur due to sudden moisture changes like water leaks or when floor installers rush the wood flooring’s drying process.

If you have a dependable moisture meter, like one from Bessemeter, you will be able to determine the moisture content of the flooring and see how far off it is from the equilibrium moisture content. This can help you determine how much the wood needs to dry.

In some cases, mild warping can be remedied by placing a dehumidifier in the room, particularly if you live in a place where humidity and temperature can change significantly with the seasons.

It’s important to distinguish between mild warping and severe warping. Mild warping can be repaired via restoration services, but severe warping usually means that the existing floor should be replaced (more on that later).

Gaps

Gaps can be one of the many signs of water damage in hardwood floors. Wood is a hygroscopic material, meaning that it absorbs or releases moisture until it reaches an equilibrium with its surroundings. So as the wood shrinks and expands with the seasons, gaps may come and go.

If the gaps are minor and caused by seasonal changes, it’s best to leave them. But if the gaps are large or bothersome, then you’ll want to assess them to see if the gaps are a result of structural issues.

Structural issues can be serious, so contact an expert like an NWFA (National Wood Flooring Association) Certified Inspector or a structural engineer.

Cupping, crowning, or buckling

Cupping, crowning, or buckling can be caused by a variety of reasons, including:

• Flooding
• Spills that haven’t been cleaned up
• Leaks from pipes or household appliances (like dishwashers and washing machines)
• Failure to acclimate floorboards before installation

If the excess amount of moisture only exists in the floorboards, you only have to worry about removing and replacing damaged planks.

However, if the moisture issue comes from the subfloor, the entire floor may need to be torn up to allow the subfloor to dry. Then, after the subfloor is dry and the reason for the excess moisture has been addressed, the flooring can be replaced.

Rotted wood

Rotted wood is likely weak. While this issue probably won’t be present in newer builds, homeowners may find rotted wood in older homes. Severe damage like this can also be found in flooded homes, where moisture seeps into floors from standing water or burst pipes where the leak has been present for an extended period of time.

In this case, you can’t un-rot wood. Once the wood has rotted, it must be replaced.

How to prevent flooring moisture damage

There are a few things you can do to keep your floor from minor damage, as well as major damage that would require you to remodel.

One way to keep your floors from unnecessary damage is to clean up spills as soon as they happen. By doing this, you can avoid the discoloration that occurs when surface water seeps into your floors.

Besides this, preventing more serious damage starts with assessing the moisture content of your wood flooring. Moisture is the most common cause of hardwood floor problems, so knowing the moisture content (MC) of your wood floor and knowing the equilibrium moisture content (EMC) of your location can give you the knowledge you need to prevent future problems.

For example, if the flooring’s MC and your region’s EMC don’t match up, you can take steps to either add or take away moisture (most likely you’ll be wanting to decrease moisture, which can be done with a dehumidifier).

Using a pinless wood moisture meter from Bessemeter also means that you’ll keep your hardwood floors looking great because you won’t have to poke and prod them with pin meters.

The importance of preventing water damage

Doing what you can to prevent water damage can help you avoid the expensive and extensive processes of water damage restoration.

Minimize tedious floor repairs and costly replacements. Take the right step toward long-term flooring success by using a reliable moisture meter in your wood floor installation routine.