Floors and Water Damage

8/18/2017 (Permalink)

Finishes: Floor finishes such as wax, polymer and polyurethane, affect porosity and slow the rate of absorption and desorption.  

Extent of damage: Wood flooring cups when moisture is absorbed at the unfinished sides and bottom of planks to swell and rise above the centers. If cupped planks are sanded flat before the wood is dried to acceptable MC, then, as planks continue to dry the sanded edges will continue to shrink downward, causing them to be lower than the centers of the planks. this is called crowning. Consider the condition presented and implement appropriate surface or subsurface drying procedures.

Replacement Criteria: Not all wood flooring can be restored to a pre-determined drying goal once moisture penetrates into and underneath the material. Parquet or engineered flooring that is buckled or broken can generally not be restored by drying and is replaced.

Drying Criteria:It is recommended when drying wood that the humidity reaches about 30-45 percent as quickly as possible. Of equal importance is increasing airflow to the flooring surfaces and sub-surfaces as quickly as possible.

Expiditing Drying: When flooring materials are saturated, moisture should be evaporated from accessible surfaces, both top and bottom. Finishes serving as vapor retardant barriers inhibit drying considerably. Therefore, it may be necessary to remove finishes to increase the rate of evaporation. When drying is complete , salvageable flooring is refinished in accordance with customer specifications