Prevent Hardwood Floor Damage in Denver Homes

There are many enemies when it comes to hardwood floors. Heavy furniture, sharp tools, and the biggest one of all is moisture. It can come from a multitude of different sources, some of which you can control, and others require specialized equipment to help combat. The experts at A+ Hardwood Floors have everything you need and can provide you with helpful advice to prevent issues in between our maintenance visits. For more than 25 years, our staff has prevented costly damages from moisture after installing the brand new hardwood floor. You can count on our knowledge in the field to have seen moisture damage in many different ways and know the correct solution to quickly get your hardwood floors fixed.

We also help with other hardwood floor services such as regular maintenance, small repairs, installation, and so much more. Our team has all the training and licensing required to help you relax once you discover issues with your hardwood flooring. No matter how old they are, we can work with refinishing and stain to give them new life instead of completely replacing them to help save you money. Give us a call today and schedule a consultation from the A+ Hardwood Floors professionals.

Get Help Finding the Perfect Moisture Balance

Even with a proper finish on your hardwood floors, moisture can find its way into the core, causing damage. What most homeowners do not realize, though, is that you need a bit of moisture as well in the air to help your hardwood floors. If there is too much moisture in the room, the wood will warp, and if not enough, leads to fracturing and breakage. Finding the perfect balance is the key if you wish to own hardwood floors, and our team at A+ Hardwood Floors can help with professional tools to stabilize the moisture in the air. We keep your floors looking their best and last as long as possible. With this kind of attention to detail, you can count on your floors lasting for many generations to come.

How Denver, CO Humidity Can Affect Your Floors

Denver, CO is known for its great weather and beautiful landscapes. With almost everywhere you turn, you get excellent views of mountains and other natural features. We also boast a whopping 300 days of sunshine while getting an average snowfall of 60 inches throughout the year. Humidity can be one of the biggest culprits of moisture problems with hardwood floors, and it needs to be seriously regulated in order to protect them. Depending on what type of wood, stain, and finish you use, you will see different results, and we can help you to better understand your particular floor.

You want to aim for humidity levels in the 35-55% range, but you might find this more difficult to do if you own a radiator. In the winter, these devices can create the perfect conditions for low humidity and will cause your floorboards to separate and create small gaps. Dirt and other objects can get caught in these gaps and create even more damage once the floorboards begin to expand again. In the summer, the heat helps close these gaps but can also cause them to swell. While the air conditioner in your home can make it more comfortable, it also removes humidity from the air causing this swelling to occur.

Tools Necessary to Prevent Moisture Damage

In order to control this humidity problem and save your hardwood floors, your home may require the use of specialized tools such as humidifiers and dehumidifiers to maintain the balance in the air. At A+ Hardwood Floors, you can count on our team members to help you understand if you need one or both options to give your floors their best chance for survival. They also help you breathe easier and deliver better indoor air quality to benefit everyone living under your roof. Even with the use of humidifiers and dehumidifiers, you will still need to measure the humidity to maintain the moisture levels. The following equipment helps bring stability to your air content and prevent issues with your hardwood floors:

Humidifier: You can use this device to add moisture to the air. It creates steam or water vapors from water placed inside and then pushes it out into your home. Not only can a humidifier prevent your hardwood floors from cracking or breaking, but you can stop nose bleeds and help you breathe better.

Dehumidifier: As the name suggests, this piece of equipment performs the opposite action of its counterpart and pulls moisture from the air. By reducing this moisture, you can prevent condensation from seeping into wood pores. They are the perfect piece of equipment if you decide to have hardwood flooring in your basement.

Common Moisture Driven Issues With Hardwood Flooring

The team at A+ Hardwood Floors is licensed, bonded, and insured to accomplish tasks associated with repairing damaged hardwood and more. Maintenance on your floors prevents premature replacements, and when it comes to moisture, the sooner you have us look at them, the better. After we inspect your hardwood floor, we will be able to identify the issues and develop repair plans to ensure your floors lice a long and healthy life. Below are some of the most commons issues we have seen with moisture damage on your hardwood floors:

Crowning: If we see the middle of the floorboard is pushing upward in an arch formation, we know this is a sign of crowning floors. This is a common issue when they sanded the floorboards before it could acclimate to the new atmosphere in your home. The edges will shrink in because these newer boards still have moisture within them, and when it tries to expand, they have nowhere to go.

Cupped: When moisture gets trapped beneath your hardwood floorboards, it can cause them to rise at the edges high than the center. This issue also occurs when there is not enough room left during installation for expansion in the hot summer months. This forces the edges of the floorboard upwards because of the tight fit.

Gaps: We see this issue when Denver residents use subpar installers who do not give the floorboards enough time with acclimation before installing. The wider board used means the gap itself will be wider as well when it loses its moisture. Gaps can also occur because of hot spots where your HVAC ducts create uneven ambient moisture exposure.

Buckling: This type of flooring issue commonly is the result of extreme moisture exposure, such as a flood or major spill. You can also see this problem when there was a significant difference in moisture between the subfloor and hardwood floorboards when originally installed. In most cases, reinstallation is the only way to fix the issue.

How to Repair Hardwood Flooring Moisture Issues

Once we identify the problem with your hardwood floors, we will look to where the moisture is coming from and resolve that problem first. If we do not complete this task, you could face similar issues soon after, and it could end up leading to a complete replacement. By preventing more damage from the water source, we can begin our hardwood flooring repair services. Below are some of the hardwood floor moisture repairs we offer before needing to suggest a full replacement of your flooring.

Poor Initial Installation – If an unprofessional or unlicensed team handled your hardwood floors, it could lead to a majority of the moisture problems listed above. If we notice these issues in our assessment, we can pull them up and replace each board correctly. We can also address any other issues from the prior installation, such as subfloor issues and more.

Mold or Mildew Present – Another reason for us to pull up the boards is when mold or mildew is discovered because of the moisture content. We need to fully remove the floor, clear out the mold and mildew, clean the area with disinfectants, and fully dry the subfloor before reinstalling. Our cleaning solutions also help prevent mold or mildew from growing again in between the floor and subfloor.

Climate Control – If there were issues with climate control that caused the problems with your hardwood floor, we would then use climate control equipment. Humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and others can better mitigate your indoor humidity. These devices are a win-win for Denver homeowners. They will also experience better breathing and assistance with any respiratory issues on top of preventing further issues with moisture and your hardwood floors.

Trust A+ Hardwood Floors With Your Flooring and Moisture Fixes

In our 25 years of helping Denver home and business owners with hardwood flooring problems, moisture seems to be the top-ranking problem. Whether it is from a busted pipe, condensation, humidity control problems, poor initial installation, or some other reason, our professional team will get to the root cause of the issues. We quickly get to the action with repairs and can provide your floor with a better option of hardwood is necessary. Not only that, but our expert staff can point you in the right direction for equipment to prevent these issues from occurring again. Issues with moisture and your hardwood floor need to be handled immediately. Leaving them unattended can lead to more severe problems and lead to premature replacement of your flooring. With proper care, your floors can last for multiple generations before they have to be replaced. Count on A+ Hardwood Floors to provide any and all services you need. Call us today to receive an upfront and honest estimate on the necessary services, and let us get to work in your home.