Your beautiful oak floor has been damaged by water and is therefore completely useless right? Traditional solid oak flooring is susceptible to movement caused by changes in humidity and so you should not use solid oak flooring in areas such as the kitchen and bathroom.
This is because the boards are once again taking in the natural moisture from their surroundings. When solid oak boards become highly exposed to changeable moisture and humidity levels, much more serious problems can occur. Two of the most common problems caused by moisture are cupping and crowing.
Prolonged exposure to water can cause some terrible damage. Not only could your wood flooring get some horrible looking water stains, but overexposure to water may also cause you're the wood to warp.
Compared to other wood species, oak is quite dense, making it strong, heavy and durable. Oak is also remarkably water, insect and fungi resistant.
Oak is a perfect timber to use for garden furniture as it is so durable and impermeable, which is why it has been used for centuries to build such things as ships, churches and barrels.
When water penetrates oak it reacts with the high tannin content within oak, resulting in 'blackening'. The Sun's UV rays will turn the oak to a silvery hue over time.
Wood that has water damage will appear darker and discolored. On walls and ceilings, water leaks can cause bubbling, peeling, or warped paint or wallpaper. Water damage on flooring can cause warping, sagging, or buckling.
Fortunately, in many cases, this type of damage can be almost magically undone by treating the wood's surface with oxalic acid. Oxalic acid removes the gray color from oxidized wood, without changing the wood's natural color.
The Extent of Damage
How long has the wooden piece been left to set in the water? If it's been for a few days or more, the piece is likely to be permanently damaged and it would be best to throw it out.
Still, homeowners have a number of questions about wood flooring, including, “Is hardwood waterproof?” The answer is an unequivocal “no,” but that doesn't mean that hardwood isn't for you. In many instances, hardwood can survive water as well as other damaging incidents.
When using the air-drying method, you can expect oak firewood to take about six to 24 months to fully cure. If your oak firewood is still green and has a high moisture content of about 70% to 80%, allowing it to air dry for six months to two years should result in a moisture content of 20% or lower.
Last week we concluded that treatment of oak is not entirely necessary unless it is kiln dried. You can if you wish to protect it from mold, algae, fungal attack and UV damage, but for the most part you leave it as it arrives fresh sawn.
Lab experiments have recorded that dry rot spores can germinate approximately seven to ten days after the wood has become damp enough. Older spores can take longer to germinate. As mentioned earlier, though, it can take a long while for signs of dry rot to appear after germination.
As noted above, water damage will usually leave walls soft to the touch, or otherwise warped, buckled, and crumbled. It also tends to cause a musty smell and dark brown or yellow-tinted stains, lines, or rings in both ceilings and walls.
When humidity increases, the wood absorbs moisture from the air causing the wood to expand. When the humidity decreases, the wood releases water into the air and the wood shrinks.
But what happens when the wood gets wet? Just know that when the moisture content of the wood reaches 20%, the wood will start to rot. But the rotting of wood is a slow process where the growth of fungi will start to feed on the cellulose of wood. There are high chances of bad things happening when the wood is wet.
Petroleum jelly or mayonnaise
One of the best ways to remove a water stain is by covering it in petroleum jelly, or even mayonnaise. The oil from these substances can seep into the wood, displacing the water and removing the stain. To try it, put a dollop of petroleum or mayonnaise on a paper towel.
Durability is a measurement of how long specific species of timber would last if a 50mm x 50mm cross section was left in the ground unprotected. An untreated Oak beam, which is classed as 'durable', for example, will last 15-25 years depending on environmental conditions.
We recommend Worktop Varnish VPT500. The advantage of this colourless varnish is that it protects the oak worktop without staining it. To apply an oak worktop varnish, you need to work on a raw wood. If your wood has already had a previous finish such as oil, you will need to sand the oak worktop.
Green oak doesn't require treatment to do its job even though overtime it will begin to dry out and create the characterful splits, cracks and surface checking that oak is known for. Additionally, the UV rays from the sun will cause the surface to go a refined silver-grey colour.