Wood Floor Water Damage Drying

What water does to wood floors

Wood absorbs moisture from below through the subfloor and from the edges of each board. When the underside is wetter than the top, boards cup, with edges higher than the centers. Severe swelling can push boards against each other and the walls until the floor buckles or lifts.

How wood floors are dried

Specialized drying mats or panels are taped to the floor surface and connected to a vacuum system that pulls moisture up through the boards. Dehumidifiers that reach low humidity levels run alongside them, and air may be directed into the space below the floor from a basement or crawl space.

• Moisture readings on boards and the subfloor, compared with unaffected flooring
• Floor drying mats or panel systems on affected boards
• Low-grain-refrigerant or desiccant dehumidification
• Drying from below where there is basement or crawl space access
• Daily readings until the wood reaches its normal moisture level

Solid, engineered and laminate floors

Solid hardwood usually has the best chance of being dried in place. Engineered wood can dry, but its layers can separate if it stays wet. Laminate and many floating floors have a fiberboard core that swells and does not recover, so they are often removed to dry the subfloor underneath.

Cupping after drying

Mild cupping can flatten as boards return to normal moisture, which can take weeks after drying. Sanding a cupped floor too early can cause crowning later. Whether refinishing or replacement is needed afterward is a flooring decision made once the floor has stabilized, and is separate from the drying work.

First steps

Stop the water, remove standing water from the surface, and take rugs and furniture off the wet floor. Do not cover the floor with plastic, and do not run heat to try to dry it quickly, which can cause cracking.

Questions