What happens when hardwood floors get wet?
Wood absorbs water and swells. When one side of a board takes on more moisture than the other, the board changes shape: cupping when the bottom is wetter, crowning when the top is wetter or a cupped floor was sanded too early, and buckling when swelling pushes boards up off the subfloor. Water can also stain the wood and cloud the finish.
How much of the floor can be saved depends on the type of wood, how long it was wet and whether the water was clean.
Drying hardwood in place
Hardwood floor drying is slower and more careful than drying a carpeted room. Providers often use floor-drying mats that pull moisture up through the boards, alongside air movers and dehumidifiers. Drying too fast can crack boards, so readings are taken over several days until the wood and the subfloor or slab beneath reach a normal level.
Water under wood floors on a slab
Many homes in the area have wood or engineered wood installed over a concrete slab. Water from a leak can travel under the flooring along the slab and show up rooms away from the source. Moisture meters and thermal cameras help find where it went before anything is pulled up.
Repairing water-damaged hardwood
Once the floor is dry, boards that settled flat can be sanded and refinished. Boards that split, buckled or stayed stained are cut out and replaced with matching wood, then the area is blended into the rest of the floor. Ask on the call how the provider matches species, width and finish.
Hardwood water damage and insurance
Photograph the boards before drying starts, keep a note of when the leak happened, and ask the provider to record moisture readings. Insurers often ask whether the damage was sudden or developed over time.
What to have ready for the call
Have the property address, the type of floor (solid hardwood, engineered, laminate or vinyl plank), where the water came from and how long the floor has been wet.