Drying Hardwood

10/6/2020 (Permalink)

Try & Save Your Hardwood Floors!

Drying Hardwood

There’s a misconception that when hardwood flooring gets wet, it must be removed because it’s ruined. Frequently, that’s not the case. SERVPRO has the tools and training to evaluate and dry out hardwood flooring. We use specialized drying mat systems and balanced dehumidification to dry hardwood quickly, saving you the time and expense of flooring replacement. When evaluating water-damaged hardwood flooring, the length of time it has been wet is a critical factor. If the flooring is allowed to dwell in water for too long, it is possible for the boards to cup, warp, and possibly break. Rapid response is critical to success in saving hardwood.

When we respond to a water damage with affected hardwood flooring, we perform a preliminary inspection. What areas are wet? How long have they been wet? And specifically how wet is it? We use a combination of flooring extraction mats, and a powerful truck-mounted extraction unit to pull as much free water out of the flooring system as possible. After that’s done, we set up our drying equipment, and start the drying process. We return to the site daily to monitor the progress of the drying, using meters specially-designed for hardwood. Once the moisture level in the wood reaches an acceptable level, the hardwood flooring can be inspected by a flooring contractor.