Unfinished hardwood floor got wet. Now what? Any flooring contractors on here? (Page 1/4)
tesmith66 APR 15, 08:02 PM
Very unhappy camper here.

I just spent 2 hard weekends putting oak hardwood down in our never ending laundry room project. We put the washer & dryer back in to get some laundry done and the washer leaked all over the floor. Apparently, if you have a front load washer, you have to keep the door open when not in use to keep it from getting stinky. If the water inlet valve stops sealing, the washer will fill with water when you are NOT using it, then it will run out of the open door. Nothing like multiple design flaws causing cascading failures.

Anyway, the floor looks like this:



Now what? Do I have to rip it out and put in new wood? There is tar paper under the wood, so the water has nowhere to go. It has already spread between the boards and gotten into the end grain, so I figure letting it dry will probably cause mold to grow.

What are my options? Should I get some fans on it, or go straight for the crowbar?

------------------
1986 SE Aero coupe.

3.4 DOHC swap is complete and running, now just have to finish the rest of the car...

hammer APR 15, 08:37 PM
Looks like 2-2 1/2" wide boards. If they do not warp or cup when they dry out they should be OK. Let it dry out completely, maybe use a fan to accelerate the drying, you can kill mold with bleach-we used to use it in the remodeling contracting business. If that is not pre-finished flooring you will be varnishing/sealing the wood with multiple coats thereby solving the mold issue.....
tesmith66 APR 15, 08:47 PM
It's unfinished red oak that I was planning on sanding this weekend . I have a waterborne sealer and a catalyzed waterborne polyurethane to finish it. No stain is planned. If I bleach it, will it make a light spot?
fierofool APR 15, 09:03 PM
If you put a fan on it, don't use heat. Heat can promote mildew growth. I just had a leak inside a wall, or should I say I just discovered a leak. It's been long-term, enough that mold was growing on the leaking pressure regulator and inside the wall. The contractor advised a fan without heat for the stated reason, and when dry, use a trigger sprayer to spray bleach or Tilex to kill the existing mold I had.

Previously I had condensation damage from a piece of my wife's medical equipment and the flooring contractor said that he could back out the boards from where he finished the installation, until he got to the damaged boards. My floors are also laid on a barrier. If one of those corners is where they finished up, maybe those boards can be replaced by backing out.
Tony Kania APR 15, 09:14 PM
Rent a DeHumidifier for a day or so. Stain will stay, but should lighten. Move washer back, and place planned area rug in front of washer.

Floors look great!
tesmith66 APR 15, 09:21 PM
Unfortunately, I started on the wall on the LH side of the pic. They are put in with 2" staples, so If I have to replace (which is likely due to time constraints), I'll have to cut one out at the far right of the damaged area and pry up the rest working to the left. The staples come out pretty easy with a long screwdriver and a hammer and lots of strength. It's the last board that is tricky. I'll have to cut the bottoms of the grooves off then glue it to the floor and surrounding wood, then face nail it.

This is gonna suck.

Oh, then I have to fix the washer. This is really gonna suck.

We had golf ball size hail on Monday, damaging the house, barns and truck- and now this. Life is what happens when you make plans.
steve308 APR 15, 09:31 PM
Best thing we ever did was get rid of our front load washer. We had the same issue but a tile floor - hope it dries (use a fan as mentioned above)
Taijiguy APR 15, 10:07 PM
You can use a mild bleach solution to lighten any staining.
pokeyfiero APR 15, 10:38 PM
You can't repair the look of the wood.

Removing the moisture is ok but the wood is what it is now. It has not cupped or pushed around so it has not absorbed much.
It is also possible after you dry it there will be gaps from "crush"

After you cold dry it with a fan and a dehumidifier(HD dehumidifier three days minimum at 70 degrees) you can try and sand off a layer and if you can live with that discoloration level then leave it.Oak is pretty dense and generally the tannins can be rubbed out after a water soaking but it is never the same.

If not then rip it out.


Whatever you do no bleach on the wood and make sure it is dry and seal up right away.

I would just rip it out and have all done asap.
Actually I'd hire someone else to do it. I ain't never getting on these destroyed knees again.
sleevePAPA APR 15, 10:51 PM
Damn. That's a bummer

Im will the posters who suggested a dehumidifier. The stain will lighten up some, but will remain noticeable. If it were me I would replace it with new planks, it would bug the hell out of me to do the same job twice because of the washer situation, but Id rather be irked for the duration that it takes me to replace it, rather than years of looking at it damaged.


*edit* If your knees are screamin', invest in a set of Pro-knees, expensive but worth it.

[This message has been edited by sleevePAPA (edited 04-15-2015).]