Hardwood floors are an important part of your home. They even add value, up to 2.5% to your home’s value, by having them installed in your home.
If you made the investment into installing wood floors in your home, you know you want them to last and be cared for well. Unfortunately, hardwood flooring problems do crop up on occasion.
Are you wondering what hardwood floor problems you should watch out for in your floors? Read on to learn more about potential problems and their causes.
1. Cupping and Crowning
Cupping and crowning are two common hardwood floor problems. Both are typically related moisture or humidity-related.
When a hardwood floor starts cupping, it has somehow gained some moisture into the wood. This moisture could come from water on the subfloor or even heavy humidity in the air.
When the wood gathers excess moisture, the wood no longer lays flat. Instead, the edges of the wood are higher than the center of the plank.
When crowning happens, it too can be a result of moisture or humidity. The wood floor swells from the extra moisture causing the edges to push up against each other. When this happens, often the center of the board raises up.
2. Gapping
Gapping in hardwood floors can also happen. This might occur when the wood actually shrinks often because of a loss of moisture in the wood. This can be connected to hardwood floor installation problems. If the floor is installed when there is a high moisture and humidity level in the air, the wood floor can gap when that moisture level drops.
Gapping causes there to be gaps in the wood where the pieces of wood meet up.
3. Buckling
Buckling is another problem often related to moisture under the surface of the hardwood. The wood actually raises up off the floor, buckling away from the subfloor underneath. This is more common when the wood is placed on a concrete floor and the concrete holds some moisture.
4. Fractures
Fractures can happen on the wood flooring for a few reasons. The wood naturally dries out so much and was pretreated in the factory. Most commonly though, fractures happen when the wood is nailed to the floor. Over time and with the normal wear and tear a floor gets, the nails through the wood can cause it to fracture.
5. Stains to Wood Flooring
Many of the above problems come from issues related to installation. Stains on your wood floor likely come from you living there and unfortunate accidents. Hardwood floor stain removal can be tricky and dependent on what caused the stain and how quickly you see it.
Anytime there is a spill on hardwood, you want to get it cleaned up as quickly as possible. The less moisture your floor faces the better. Then evaluate what caused the stain before you decide what to use to try to remove.
Fix Your Hardwood Flooring Problems
Hardwood flooring problems are a by-product of having wood floors. With all the beauty and value that wood floors add to your home, also comes the maintenance and care that’s required.
For more home care ideas and tips like this article, be sure to visit our page often.