Water can damage our homes and businesses in many ways, but we tend to forget because we only see the impacts following a flood. Mold can quickly move into your room, ruining drywall, wallpaper, and paint. The biggest problem is mold leaves behind spores, which keep coming back until you eliminate them appropriately. When it’s too late, hiring professionals like PuroClean of Clairemont may be necessary to save your property.
A minor leakage from a plumbing pipe or a faucet may let homeowners choose to fix the issue rather than replace their floors. But is this a long-term solution?
Floors are important parts of your home, and replacing them can be pretty expensive. If you’re on a budget, you most likely want to save money wherever possible. That’s why replacing your flooring might not be the wisest move. However, you need to consider the work required and how much you’ll be saving in the long run.
Signs of Water Damage on Floors
- Dents
- Uneven boards
- A watermark
- Warped boards/buckling floors
- Warping
- Caulking issues
- Peeling
- Uneven patches
- Discoloration
- Soft spots
- Sagging floors
- Softening and swelling
Note: A few of these signs, such as discoloration and buckling, are visible beneath the covering of the mark. But sometimes, you may not see these floor parts because everything else around them looks similar. So, it’s essential to check all these signs together as they can paint a more accurate picture of what’s going on with your house’s floors.
When to Replace Water Damaged Floors
1. The Subflooring Becomes Decayed or Moldy
Consider replacing your floors if the subflooring becomes decayed or moldy. If you only need a few boards to be replaced, check with your local lumberyard for discount rates on pieces of hardwood you prefer. Before assembling the boards, they must end up being flush with one another.
A hand plane helps achieve this result. If there are sections near the middle of the floor where nails are protruding through all layers of the subflooring and glued ply, these areas should receive extra attention in their replacement.
2. Wood Floors Damaged by Flooding or High-Humidity
When water damage has occurred to wood floors, the process is more complicated. It might be difficult to determine whether you need a full refinishing or a simple patch job. If only isolated boards have warped and cupped, sometimes replacing those boards is less expensive than an entire floor replacement.
You can always trim down boards that don’t level using a hand saw to make them fit back together again. But this will typically require extensive sanding if not a complete replacement of the board itself. When dealing with water-damaged floors, you can usually recognize warped boards because they are no longer completely smooth or flat.
3. Exposed Subfloor
If you have an “exposed” subfloor or exposed plywood, it’s time for a replacement. You should put insulation between the ground and whatever is being replaced to ensure proper installation. For example, if you have exposed plywood on an exterior wall, simply replacing the plywood works fine.
If you have exposed plywood on an interior wall, you need to address proper insulation between the subfloor and whatever is being installed. Also, if you have an “exposed” subfloor on an exterior wall, it’s time for a replacement.
4. Major Gaps in Subfloor
If there are major gaps in your subfloor that allow moisture to find its way into it easily, floor system replacement also needs consideration. For instance, if you have plywood and 1/4″ – 3/8″ gap at the baseboards or around doorways, then you need to fill these gaps with high-quality caulk before replacing your current flooring system.
However, you have to walk over caulk instead of carpeting, so the appropriate thickness of the carpet pad may also need replacing. But you have to pay an additional cost.
5. Persistent Damage After Cleanup
If you have damage that doesn’t go away after doing everything reasonable to remove it, like proper drying, moisture readings consistent with dry out conditions, etc., then replacement is probably necessary. If you did all these and dried the subfloor correctly and still suffered damage where water seeped through, replacement is the only option.
When to Repair Water Damaged Floors
If your home experiences flooding, either from a broken pipe, rainstorm, or overflowing bathtub, it’s maybe tempting to rip up your laminate flooring and install hardwood floors instead.
There is an easy way to tell if you need to take out and throw your ruined lamination wood flooring. Try doing a simple test in a small area of the laminate material before trying a repair or a replacement by pouring a small bucket of water on the flooring you want to test. If the water immediately sits in a puddle, you may need to replace your flooring due to excessive swelling caused by the flood. But if water beads up and rolls off, your laminate floors can be salvaged.
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