What To Do About Water – Damaged Floors

If you’re facing a water-damaged floor, it can feel like a catastrophic issue to have to deal with. Whether you’re dealing with laminate floor water damage or you are searching for hardwood floor repair from water damage, you’ll need the experts to handle it.

Carpet water damage will also need specialist attention, as the potential for mould growth and further issues within the building. Avoid unnecessary issues with Rainbow International’s expertise, as we explain what you should do about a water-damaged floor:

• How do I repair my water-damaged carpet?
• What to do about hardwood floor water damage?
• Can I repair water-damaged laminate flooring?

How Do I Repair My Water-Damaged Carpet?

A water-damaged carpet can seem like a monumental task, but it’s important to prioritise repairing it as soon as possible to prevent further damage to the flooring underneath. Follow the steps below to repair your carpet water damage and get your carpets clean and back to normal.

1. Drying Out Your Carpet

Before you begin drying out your carpet, you must first detect the leak and resolve the water leak. Once this is complete, begin drying your carpets by soaking up excess water with rags and towels. From here, you can begin using a water vacuum to suck up water from the deeper fibres in the carpet.

To ensure that all moisture is removed from the carpet, you can finish drying it by thoroughly ventilating the room and allowing it to air dry.

2. Checking For Mould

Mould is an issue that can be hugely detrimental to a home and its residents, so it’s imperative that you thoroughly check for any evidence of mould within the carpet after it’s been dried. Mould is often spotted due to its musty smell or spores that grow on the fibres of the carpet. If you’ve spotted mould, get in touch with mould removal specialists for support.

3. Cleaning Your Carpet

Once the carpet is dried and all flood water has been removed, it’s time to clean the carpet. We highly recommend using a disinfectant on the carpet and thoroughly saturating it with the product. From this point, you can scrub out any stained areas and use a carpet cleaner on the remaining areas to suck up the disinfectant and leave the carpet clean and dry.

What To Do About Hardwood Floor Water Damage?

A water-damaged hardwood floor is a serious issue, as even the smallest leak or spillage can cause permanent damage. Be prepared for any eventuality and keep your hardwood flooring safe and in perfect condition with the following steps.

1. Deep Cleaning The Floor

Deep cleaning the floor involves vacuuming the water with the appropriate equipment and ensuring all moisture from the spill or leak is removed. A dry mop and clean towels can also be used, as well as any ventilation options that are available such as air conditioning and open windows.

Next, you will be able to scrub the floor with a mild detergent that is designed for hardwood floors. Clear away all the dirt build-up with a stiff brush and ensure the surface is entirely clean in order to avoid the potential for mould and mildew building up.

2. Removing Any Signs of Mold

Any signs of mould must be dealt with as soon as possible with the correct products and techniques. We highly recommend having mould remediation specialists handle the issue as mould can be incredibly hazardous to human health when not dealt with properly. All mouldy areas must be scrubbed clean, thoroughly dried and treated afterwards to ensure the mould won’t return. All areas that show signs of mould should be treated on time and with specially designed products.

3. Drying the Floor

Once all of these steps have been completed, you must then dry the floor naturally. Do not use any methods that apply heat onto the hardwood floor, instead, ventilate the room and dry the flooring slowly to avoid any cracks or gaps forming between the floorboards.

4. Sanding & Sealing As Necessary

Sanding and sealing the floor will be required if you see any changes in the hardwood flooring, such as cupping or warping on the floorboards themselves. If you spot any evidence of this on your flooring, get the experts in as soon as possible, as it requires specialist tools and extensive experience to be able to successfully repair this. You can find out more about this process in our article all about repairing wood flooring.

Can I Repair Water Damaged Laminate Flooring?

Laminate flooring is a popular option for many homeowners when they are furnishing their homes, especially in rooms that come into contact with a lot of water. However, laminate flooring is actually very easily damaged by water and can be difficult to repair. Check out the following steps you should take if your laminate floor water damage is concerning you.

1. Assessing The Damage

Once you have stopped the source of the water leak, you can begin to assess the water damage on your laminate flooring. Common signs of water damage on laminate flooring include bubbling, splitting, buckling, cracking, cupping, mould and discolouration.

2. Identifying Damaged Planks

Identifying the damaged planks means you reduce the amount of work needed to be done, as you can then begin replacing those planks individually, instead of completely resurfacing the flooring. Once you have identified the individual planks that have been damaged, mark them to highlight them away from the undamaged planks, and make your job easier later down the line.

3. Removing and Replacing Damaged Planks

The damaged planks can now be removed once they’ve been identified. To do so, you’ll need to carefully run a knife under the damaged edges and slowly pull them up from the flooring underneath. Some planks will require you to remove skirting boards to get the edges, and the sub-flooring must be assessed thoroughly for any evidence of mould.

To replace the damaged planks, take new planks of laminate flooring that match the current ones and match up the printed pattern on the new planks with the gaps on the existing flooring. If you’re not confident doing this process alone, we highly recommend calling in the experts as you can cause more damage than what’s already there.

Call The Experts If You Have A Water-Damaged Floor

A water-damaged floor can be incredibly stressful to deal with. Whether you’re faced with a water-damaged carpet, hardwood floor or laminate flooring, the solution can seem overwhelming or non-existent.

With Rainbow International’s expertise, you can easily resolve a water-damaged floor and have your flooring restored back to its original state. If you’ve got a water-damage problem in your home, or your premises requires an expert approach, find out more about how our water-damage restoration team can help.