Has Hurricane Irene damaged your Hardwood Floors?

Has Hurrican Irene affected you & your hardwood floors? - Please take time to read the following advice on preserving your existing hardwood floors.

Cleaning Wood Floors & Woodwork After a Flood

After wood floors have been covered with wet mud and dirt, they need to be cleaned, flattened and possibly replaced.

1. Before the house dries out, scrub all woodwork with a stiff, but non-abrasive brush, plenty of water and a non-sudsing detergent to remove mud and silt from corners, cracks and crevices.

2. Floodwaters may accumulate in partitions and exterior walls. Drain these areas as quickly as possible. Remove the baseboard and drill holes between studs a few inches above the floor. After the insulation and frames have dried, replace the baseboard.

3. Use your regular cleaning product for a final, thorough floor washing. If refinishing is necessary, consult an experienced professional for refinishing, or follow instructions on standard brands of finishes and varnishes for household use.

4. Wood floors may buckle. Leave them alone to dry. Dry wood as fast as possible. Open windows and doors wide enough to give good ventilation on dry, non-humid days. (Maintain a temperature of 50 degrees to 60 degrees Fahrenheit or higher in the house.)

5. After the house is dry, there are several possibilities for renovating the floors. Some of the buckled flooring may be pounded into place with nails. Some humps may be removed by planing or sanding. Heavily planed floors may never be used uncovered, but a smoothed old floor can serve as a base for a resilient hardsurface floor covering.

6. Mold and mildew are common problems with wet wood. Badly infected wood must be replaced. Clean mildewed floors, woodwork and other wooden parts by scrubbing with a mild alkali, such as washing soda or trisodium phosphate(available at most hardware stores), using four to six tablespoons for each gallon of water. Rinse well with clear water after scrubbing with alkali and allow the wood to dry thoroughly. Then apply a mildew-resistant finish.

7. To remove mildew stains or mold from unpainted wood surfaces, wash with warm soapy water. If stains remain, add one-half tablespoon of trisodium phosphate or four tablespoons of borax to each gallon of warm soapy water. Dry by rubbing with an absorbent cloth.

8. If mold has grown into the wood under paint or varnish, the finish must be removed. Scrub the wood with an abrasive cleaner, then wash with a solution containing four to six tablespoons of trisodium phosphate and one cup of household chlorine bleach for each gallon of water. Sand the wood and bleach any remaining spots. Several applications of household bleach may be needed. Then wash the surface with a weak ammonia solution--two tablespoons of ammonia per quart of water. Finally, rinse the wood well with clear water. . Do not mix bleach & ammonia as fumes may be fatal!

Drying Water-Damaged Wood Flooring

As you might imagine, the drying of damaged wood flooring must be done slowly. In general, you will want to remove as much standing water as possible, and then accelerate the evaporation process with fans. Do not apply any type of heat to the hardwood flooring, as splitting, cupping, and a host of other problems will result.


Sanding Water-Damaged Wood Flooring

After drying, you may have some concave or convex floorboards; this is called "cupping." Heavy sanding with a drum or orbital sander can actually "take down" some minor high areas. Heavily cupped wood cannot be sanded down flat.

It is inevitable that some floorboards may lift up completely at the ends. In this case, face-nail the floorboards back down.

Looking for a FREE Estimate to evaluate your Hardwood Floor condition, please contact: www.ajhardwoodfloorservices.com