Water Damage: How It Can Affect Your Floors

6/6/2016 (Permalink)

When you think of a flood in your home, one of the first thoughts you might have is, “are my floors going to make it?!” Many have this question because oftentimes the floor is the closest in proximity to the flood damage. And if your floor does get damaged by water, the cleanup can be rather difficult for a homeowner to complete by themselves. But fortunately they can call SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea, where we are the experts in water damage cleanup and mold remediation. It doesn’t matter how the water damage got there, we’ll be able to find a way to clean it up. 

When it comes to floor water damage, we at SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea have dealt with many different floor repairs. Because of this, we know that the type of material in your floor can have an impact on how much damage is left behind. Here is a rundown of how different floor materials can influence the amount of water damage done to your space. 

Hardwood Flooring:

Everyone loves the look and feel of hardwood floors. They’re usually unique to the house, add some character or charm and are just beautiful to look at. But when disaster strikes your home with water damage, there can be some major affects to your home, which includes possible damage to your hardwood floors. 

The type of wood that your floors are made of will affect how fast it reacts to the exposure of water and moisture. Typically, the harder the wood, the slower it will react to the damage. For example, an oak flooring will most likely react within a few days whereas a maple oak, which is a harder type of wood, could take up to five or six days before it reacts to the water damage. 

Whether it’s oak, maple oak, mahogany or any other wood; sooner or later the exposure to water will indeed cause water damage to your floors. Symptoms of water-damaged floors include cupping and buckling of the wood. 

When this happens, it’s important to have a water damage professional like SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea come out to your home and inspect the damage. We have the proper tools to extract the salvageable wood flooring. Whether it is an air mover or dehumidifier, our machines are the best of the best. If the space is too saturated with water and is not capable of being dried out, our team of technicians can properly remove the wood flooring for you, creating less stress for you, the homeowner. 

Hardwood floors also have the high possibility of growing mold once water damage hits a home’s floors. The combination of wood saturated with water helps create the perfect environment for mold to grow, which is why it is so important to remove the water damage from your wood flooring as soon as you notice it. If mold does become an issue, SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea fortunately provides mold remediation services as well. Let us take care of both problems for you in a fast, easy and proper way. Call us today! 

Laminate Flooring: 

Over the years, laminate flooring has increased in its popularity within homes. That’s because it’s pretty durable and can be easily maintained. Since this flooring selection is so popular it’s important to understand how water damage can affect it before you decide to place it in your home. 

Laminate flooring is technically water resistant, but only to small spills such as a cup of water falling over. If you spill some water, you’re able to wipe it right up without seeing any permanent affects like you might find with some hardwood floorings. But if your laminate flooring is exposed to a large amount of water from a flood or a pipe leak, it no longer is seen as a water resistant flooring solution. 

When laminate flooring becomes soaked with water, the material becomes warped and eventually damaged. Oftentimes a homeowner’s first sign of water damage comes when they notice that their laminate floor planks are swelling or are starting to warp. Other symptoms of laminate floor water damage include but are not limited to: buckling, cracking, splitting, cupping or crowning of the laminate floor. 

Once these signs start to appear, homeowners are left having to completely repair and remove their laminate floors. Also, even if only a part of the laminate flooring is affected by water damage, that usually means that the entire flooring will have to be removed. Since a laminate floor is placed all at once, it is very difficult to remove just the damaged piece and replace it to perfectly match the existing non-damaged part of the flooring. 

Because of this, it’s best to call a water damage professional like SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea to come out and take a look at the damage. We have an experienced staff that will be able to clean up the damage and have your house back to normal in no time. 

Tile Flooring:

Tile flooring is typically found in bathrooms or kitchens, where there is access to lots of water pipes. Whether it’s the kitchen sink or bathroom toilet that has a leak, chances are high that the mishap will affect the tile flooring in those areas, potentially involving water damage. If this is the case, contact SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea and we can remediate and clean up the damage. 

Depending on the amount of water damage and how well you’ve maintained the tile, you may or may not have to replace the flooring.  Oftentimes, when the tiles is missing some caulking or not getting the proper attention it needs, water can get underneath the tile surface and eventually loosen up the tiles. This can also create a mold and mildew problem in your space, which is another reason why it’s so important to keep on top of your flooring. 

Not all water damage can be prevented, but there are some tips to help minimize the amount of water damage that affects your home. 

1. Examine your tiles. 

Take a look at the tile to check for staining and/or any “hollow-sounding” tiles in your floor. When a tile sounds hollow, that usually means that the tiles are loose because the material keeping them together is slowly breaking down. This is typically caused by water damage. Every once and a while, get down to the ground and bounce a coin or any other small object against the tile and see if the bouncing object leaves a hollow sound behind. If it does, you might be dealing with water damage underneath. 

2. Look at the appliances. 

Lots of water damage starts with a leaking or malfunctioning appliance. Regularly check your appliances – refrigerators, toilets, sinks, etc. – to make sure that everything is running properly.  

3. Check for potential leaks. 

It’s important to have the proper maintenance done to your home on a regular basis. Be sure that there aren’t any visible leaks and that everything is shutting on and off correctly. If you aren’t sure what to look for, have a professional come out every so often to make sure that there aren’t any necessary repairs to be done.

Whether your home is filled with hardwood, laminate or tile flooring, all three of these flooring options have the capability of being affected by water damage. It’s important to know how each material reacts to water damage, especially if you have a mixture of all three flooring materials in your home. The more aware you are of these potential water damage issues, the sooner you will be able to detect the problem before the damage gets too bad. 

If you ever find water damage in your home, be sure to contact SERVPRO of Yorba Linda/Brea. We have the best team members and cleanup machines to remediate all of the water and mold damage caused to your home. Contact us today for help!