If you own, or you are planning to own a hardwood floor, you must know that moisture and water are the biggest enemies of wood. In general, wood and moisture make real wood planks “move”, because of their characteristic porous structure and the movement leads to enlarging and contracting. Contracting and enlarging is really bad for your wooden floors because there is a high risk of serious damages such as cupping, ballooning, loose and even broken planks.

Of course, one of your main priorities of having a hardwood floor is minimising the risk of moisture and water damages as much as possible. However, accidents happen and there is nothing to do about that. High indoor humidity is another problem that your floor may face. The only thing you can do in order to minimise the damages is reacting to the problem quickly and properly and not neglecting and ignoring it. Are your hardwood floors suffering from water damages, and if so, what can you do about that? How you can preserve the condition and flawless look of your floor is the topic of today’s article, so if you are interested, then keep on reading.

Unlike scratches and dents that are easily noticeable wood floor imperfections, water damage can remain not visible, but major issues for a long time. Fortunately, you can detect and find them. However, detecting water damages requires thorough inspecting of the whole floor. What you have to look for? First of all, visually you have to keep your eyes peeled for any areas that appear warped or bent in any way, as this is a clear sign of water damage. Another sign for water damaging your floor is dull finish, or if there is a cracking and splitting in floorboards. For example, if your floor is finished with wax, if it is water damages, it will leave a greyish stain, when you sweep it with a towel.

If it is too hard to judge visually, then try to run your hands along the surface and look for warping and misshapen sections. Persistent dampness is even easier to detect and thus detects that the water has seeped completely into the floorboard. Of course, if you notice mouldy odours coming from your floor, this is most certainly because of mildew and mould growth. Dark corners are also something that indicates mould.

If you are still in doubt and you do not know for sure what the condition of your floor is and whether it is water damaged, then ask the professionals for help. Experienced and skilled technicians will inspect thoroughly and precise the whole floor and if it is damaged, they will recommend the best solution for your situation. Another suggestion we can recommend is purchasing a moisture-proof membrane underlay and apply it before installing the wooden boards, especially if you are fitting them in places, where interior humidity is an issue. This type of underlay will keep the whole construction protected from moisture and will also insulate the floor from a damp subfloor.