Dry the area: Use fans or dehumidifiers to dry out the affected area. It may take several days for the flooring to return to its original shape. Sand and refinish: After the floor is completely dry, sand the damaged area, and refinish it to match the rest of the floor.
While swollen wooden flooring can often be restored, addressing the root cause of moisture is crucial to prevent recurrence. If the swelling persists after trying these methods, consulting with a flooring specialist may be necessary.
Flattening a swollen hardwood floor involves reducing the moisture content. Here's a step-by-step guide: Identify the Moisture Source: Check for any leaks or high humidity areas. Use Dehumidifiers: Dehumidifiers can help reduce indoor humidity levels.
Dry Excess Moisture
Drying out the excess moisture from your flooring can decrease some of the inflammation and incentivizes the wood to retract. You can also run a fan on the planks for 24 hours or use a dehumidifier to further draw out excess moisture.
You can also use a dehumidifier for at least 24 hours in places where the damage is minor, and often you will find that boards go back to their normal position, and you will see no signs of buckling or warping. Major damage to a floor, that has buckled in many places may require replacing the badly damaged boards.
Durability and moisture resistance
Those layers are designed to be more resistant to higher moisture levels than solid wood. Therefore, your engineered wood flooring won't expand or contract as easily due to changing temperatures or humidity.
Minor water damage on wood tables can be reversed fairly easily. You can remove stains and light surface damage with a sandblock, then repaint and re-varnish the wood surface. For swollen and rotten wood, you can cut away the damaged parts and use a wood filler as long as the affected area isn't too much.
So if the air is humid, the wood will absorb more moisture from the air, and it will swell. If the air is dry, wood fibers will release some of its moisture back into the air and it can shrink back down.
If you've eliminated the moisture issue, minorly buckled planks may simply return to normal given time. For boards that are cupping, add weight to the floor by setting a few heavy boxes on top. It's simple but it really does work. For serious buckling, you may need to consider replacing an area of your floor.
Start by drying out the affected area using fans or dehumidifiers. If the swelling is minor, you may be able to fix it by gently tapping the swollen boards back into place using a rubber mallet. However, if the swelling is severe, you may need to replace the damaged boards altogether.
Swelling increases until the fiber saturation point has been reached. Water added beyond this point remains as free water in the lumen and does not cause further swelling. This process is reversible and accounts for the dimensional changes that occur when wood comes into contact with moisture (Stamm 1964).
In a humid environment, using a dehumidifier can help pull moisture out of the wood, reducing swelling more effectively.
Dents and gouges
Clean the damaged area thoroughly to ensure there's no debris in the dent or gouge. Fill the hole with wood putty using a putty knife. Select a putty that best matches the wood grain and color of your flooring. Overfill the hole slightly, as the putty will shrink upon drying.
Use a Water Vacuum
A water vacuum is a great way to remove water from your wood floors. It works by sucking up all of the water in the area where it is placed.
Make sure the swollen laminate is completely dry (use a dehumidifier if needed) Cover any minor laminate bubbles with a damp cloth and use a knife to cut a slit in the area. Apply wood glue into the slit and press the veneer down – use a heavy object to weigh it down and leave it for 8-12 hours to dry.
When the weather is humid, planks absorb moisture causing them to expand. Alternatively, during cold seasons, planks shrink as they become dry. Although engineered planks resist these seasonal changes more than solid hardwood, you should still expect a small amount of expanding and contracting.
If the damage is minor, the floor can sometimes be saved by replacing affected boards and then sanding and refinishing the whole floor. If the damage is severe or extensive, causing significant expansion, the entire floor may need replacing – and sometimes even the subfloor will have to be replaced.
Using oil finishes
Oil finishes create a barrier between the wood and water, preventing the wood from swelling or warping. You can apply an oil finish to your furniture with a brush or cloth. Make sure to not have oil residue remaining. Allow it to dry completely before using the furniture.
To reduce problems related to the initial moisture content of the wood, the wood should be dried to a moisture content level consistent with its final service environment. It should then be stored and manufactured under atmospheric conditions that will maintain this level.
Applying additional moisture and heat to the opposite side of the warp can cause the wood to warp back into its original flat position, effectively “unwarping” the piece. Minor warping can usually be corrected with heat and moisture only, but for more severe warping, you may also need to apply pressure to the wood.
Refinishing involves sanding down the top layer and applying a new finish. This process will leave your floor almost good as new and you can even change the colour of your floor completely in this process! Refinishing should be done by a professional to achieve the best results and avoid damage to your floor.
On average, engineered hardwood floors can last anywhere from 20 to 30 years, depending on the thickness of the top layer (veneer), the quality of the product, and the conditions it's exposed to. High-quality engineered hardwood with a thicker veneer can even last up to 40 years if well-maintained.