Commercial Hardwood Floors & Water Damage

12/12/2016 (Permalink)

Commercial hardwood floors are beautiful and durable but any water damage must be quickly dealt with

Your business is an investment. If your business is family-owned it’s part of your family’s inheritance, so its well being is essential. Sometimes, the worst does happen, and you find yourself facing a watery disaster. If you have hardwood floors, here are some steps to take before and after water damage occurs.

Keep Your Commercial Floor Dry
Don’t allow even small spills or water leaks to pool on your commercial hardwood floor. When you see any signs of moisture, grab a clean, dry cloth or mop immediately. Taking action quickly will minimize the impact on your expensive hardwood floors.

Be Careful With Your Cleaning Process Don’t soak a mop in cleaning solution or water and saturate your floors. Though you want to get your floors really clean, take care to use liquid solutions conservatively. For some good ideas on how to best maintain your hardwood floors go to the National Wood Flooring Association’s maintenance page.

Watch For Changes And Mold
Watch for moisture or changes to your commercial hardwood floor, especially around the perimeter.  Keep an eye out for mold in areas that don’t receive much light. Mold is damaging to your hardwood floors and can affect the air quality of your business or commercial space. Mold is a sign that you should take immediate action.

Repairing Your Water Damaged Floor
All is not lost if your commercial hardwood floor (or a hardwood floor in your home) receives water damage. Genuine hardwood floors can be renewed to their original beauty with just a few steps.

First, do a thorough water damage inspection. Then remove any moisture in your hardwood floor and the sub-floor. No direct repairs to water damaged hardwood floors can be started until you remove all the excess water in the air. Don’t sand the hardwood floor while the atmosphere is thick with moisture because the hardwood floor won’t remain level. Usually, the moisture content in the room must be below 12% before you can begin to restore a hardwood floor. SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield achieves this with our high-powered dehumidifiers, negative air movers, and HEPA filters.

Faster to any size disaster.  Call SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield at  860-216-2785.

You can use large fans and dehumidifiers. Point your fans down to the hardwood floor boards while running your air conditioning. If your water damage is on the main floor, place additional large fans on the level below. Point these units upward toward the moisture to dry the hardwood floors from underneath.

Your flooring may begin to swell somewhat during this process. If you’re able, remove a couple of the damp hardwood boards to allow the wood to “give” and allow additional air to get to your subfloor.

Be Sure To Remove All Moisture
If the underlay or sub-floor is also wet, the entire floor and sub-floor may have to be lifted. You must be certain you remove all sources of moisture. Otherwise, the problem will return. One thing professionals do is erect a polyethylene tent or seal in the affected room to speed up the drying process. This method is common in workplaces like commercial offices, which have a large floor space and lots of flooring materials that may dry at different speeds. Sectioning off the water damaged area also lessens any downtime or inconvenience to your customers or clients.

What If  Your Commercial Hardwood Floor Buckles?
If your hardwood floor buckles from water damage drying it fully should restore the boards to a flat position. At that point you can fill gaps or nicks and refinish if necessary. You can rent sanders from any major home supply warehouse, but beware. These machines are powerful. They can take on a life of their own across your commercial hardwood floor or a hardwood floor in your home. Hold the sander tight and show it you’re the boss. After sanding and refinishing, your commercial hardwood floors can be as beautiful as the day they were installed.

Have water damage? Call SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield anytime at  860-216-2785.

When To Call A Professional
If you’ve made every attempt to dry your commercial or home hardwood floors and buckling remains, that’s a sign that water still exists under your floor. In many cases, this means your wood has become detached from the sub-floor underneath. Solving this issue is going to likely require the help of a professional service like SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield.

Depending on the professional opinion you receive, your hardwood floor may be damaged to the point that you need a replacement floor. Repairing may ease your troubles in the short-term, but if you have an unidentified leak or other moisture issue, effects to your commercial hardwood floors will certainly recur.

Don't Enjoy "Do It Yourself"?

If you’re not handy or don’t enjoy construction work, you may want to call in a professional as soon as the water damage occurs. Two advances of using a reputable professional firm is that you can get back in business sooner and know that the job will be done right the first time.

SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield specializes in commercial water damage repair and restoration throughout Connecticut and the region. We can help restore  your commercial hardwood floor and get your business back up and running faster.

A Wealth Of Information For You  
Every month on our blog, SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield publishes educational articles on how to prevent natural disasters and deal with them quickly and effectively should they occur. 

Here When You Need Us
The team at SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield also has specialized training and experience in water damage restoration services, fire damage restoration services, mold remediation, commercial services, and natural disaster cleanup. Call SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield (860-216-2785) anytime, 24/7.

We've served clients in Avon, Agawam, Bloomfield, Coventry, East Hartford, East Longmeadow, Ellington, Enfield, Farmington, Hartford, Manchester, Newington, Simsbury, South Windsor, Springfield, West Hartford, and beyond.

SERVPRO of Bloomfield/Enfield
100 Peters Road
Bloomfield, Connecticut 06002
IICRC Certified
Noemi Garcia
Franchise Owner
Call 860-216-2785 anytime