My hardwood oak floor was recently damaged due to a water leak from the ceiling that was leaking for probably a week. My house was built in 1966.

Some side edges of the wood planks on the floor have warped. They have been drying for about 2 weeks. It appears the warping has diminished. I wonder if I were to wait, if the wood warped planks would return to being flush with the surrounding wood?

A floor man wants to replace the damaged wood and refinish the 30 X 20 ft room. The damaged area is about 7 X 5 ft.

So, is this an option to try first?

Sand and refinish only the warped planks. Would those planks hold up to that and feel normal?

Thanks,

Jerry

 

There is no right answer, your not under any pending time restriction so let it go for a few months and see what happens.

I doubt water damaged flooring is going to return to pre damage condition but only time will tell!

 

Hello Marq 1 –

Thanks for the return. I’m currently working with my insurance carrier and a Restoration contractor. So, my time to make a decision is limited.

Therefore, I thought I could sand and refinish the warped planks myself and if successful, I would not require the contractor who would replace the warped wood and refinish. The contractor would have to refinish two rooms and I would have to remove all furniture, with the total work being a bit overwhelming.

So, since you did not know about the above, I guess you are okay if I would proceed to first try to sand and finish the warped wood.at this time.

Jerry

 

Since insurance is involved, I'd push for total replacement from the angle that the repair may not / is not going to match perfectly.

The warped wood has likely pulled loose some fasteners so simply sanding and refinishing is not going to restore the floor to what it once was, since it may continue to warp in the future.

 

Hello XSleeper -

You won't believe this, but the insurance carrier will not replace the floor until I try to patch and finish first. If it doesn't match they will then replace. My wife and I are not up to doing the floor twice.
Thanks for your comments.

Jerry

 

Sounds believable. Then you should likely remove and replace the damaged planks. And you should hit your insurance up to pay for a storage container and a moving company to do all that work for you. It should all be part of the cost of repair.

 

Hello XSleeper –

I understand your reply, but perhaps I was not clear. Here is the insurance reply:

1. Repair and replace the damaged wood.

2. Refinish the complete floors in two rooms including tolerating the stain and poly odor.

3. Store the furniture including cut glass and China glassware in a pod. We are concerned how safely this can be handled.

If the wood does not match, which most people say will happen, they will tear out all wood and lay new flooring and repeat step 2. And, of course, it will be their word versus our’s if it matches.

We, as senior citizens, cannot go through this twice. The thought of all the noise, odor and commotion doing it once is upsetting, but doing it twice is hard to accept.

Thanks for your comments.

Jerry

 

When this is done, find another insurance company. We had some water damage to a hardwood floor a couple months ago. Our insurance company knows I will do the work myself, but had us get a bid on someone else replacing/sanding/finishing the whole floor. They sent us a check without even coming to look.

 

Hello Sam -
Thanks for the return. My claim for the water damage includes other items, such as a grand piano, etc.. Also, a Restoration contractor who submitted the estimate is working with my insurance company. So, it can be a bit clumsy at this time to change.

However, I intend to accept the first check (there are 2 checks if the contractor completes the work), and try myself to sand and refinish the damaged planks.

Jerry