Stages of Water Damage to Knoxville Hardwood Flooring

4/2/2020 (Permalink)

We understand the need for rapid response and restoration to minimize the loss of your property. Call us right away we are available 24/7.

Thorough Water Damage Restoration in Your Knoxville Home Can Prevent Further Damage

Water damage does not reach an irreparable point all at once, and that is what makes a prompt response to Knoxville homes during these emergencies so critical. Our SERVPRO professionals can establish drying practices as soon as we get our team on-site, allowing us to better slow and stall the migration of water through sensitive, porous materials. Hardwood flooring might not instantaneously absorb damage, but once it does, it can be challenging to remove.

Determining the severity of this water damage to Knoxville flooring hinges on the use of surface moisture detectors and probing moisture meters. These two tools can give an accurate depiction of damp pockets in the wood planks and the concentration of this present moisture. Water damage affects wood plank flooring in three distinct stages beginning with the initial exposure.

Surface Water 

Our SERVPRO team can work to keep water damage contained to this stage. In this initial phase, water has absorbed minimally into the finished flooring, and nearly all of the moisture exists above the surface. This damage is accessible to wet-vacuums, extractors, and most readily addressed with direct airflow by properly positioned air movers and dehumidifiers. On the surface level, there is often no pressing threat for needing tear-out and reconstruction of the flooring.

Free Water

An intermediate stage where water has penetrated the surface of the wood flooring and gone into the individual planks. Cellulose, which can vary based on the wood species used in the flooring type, can begin pulling standing water or moisture into the material. In the earliest stages of this absorption, free water can get removed with the application of drying mats or tenting. In some cases the planks can be inspected and also treated from below if they are installed in a crawlspace foundation. This process can also dry wet floor joists, beams, and columns while protecting against microbial growth.

Bound Water 

If water stays in the planks for longer than a day or two, free moisture can turn into bound water. In this phase of damage, trapped water bonds with the molecular structure of the wood and alters its composition. This stage of damage distorts, swells, and disfigures the planks affected. At this point, it is necessary to remove damaged flooring and reinstall it after drying completes.

Protecting your flooring means reaching out to our SERVPRO of Rocky Hill / Sequoyah Hills / South Knoxville team as soon as water losses happen. Give us a call anytime at (865) 862-8907.

Find out more about Knoxville.