Do you suspect hardwood floor water damage? Call for professional drying services. Water is a vicious enemy of hardwood flooring. The porous nature of wood allows moisture to penetrate deep into its surface, leading to further complications. Large amounts of water absorbed by hardwood flooring can cause the planks to swell, after which the surface may begin to buckle and cup. Even if you try to make your flooring water-resistant, by sealing and waxing the surface, you cannot completely prevent moisture from penetrating into the surface. Instead, these techniques only help toughen the flooring to minimize damage as well as provide you more time to clean the water before the flooring becomes unsalvageable. If you have hardwood floors, have experienced water damage and notice the following signs, call a professional drying out service for restoration immediately. Signs of Water Damage  Cupping Cupping is a very common sign of water damage. Cupping of hardwood floors occurs when a board’s edges are higher than its center. This happens when the moisture enters the wooden surface and causes the wood to expand. Upon expanding, the wooden boards are crushed together, distorting the boards at the edges. Cupping is a result of the moisture imbalance created when the wood expands after being exposed to moisture. You might think that moisture is not an issue because the top surface appears dry. What you don’t see is that the board is comparatively wet at the bottom.  What’s more alerting is that cupping can occur even if the hardwood flooring was installed correctly. Buckling The most extreme impact of moisture on hardwood flooring is referred to as buckling. This is a condition in which the surface of your hardwood floor becomes uneven in various spots. The flooring pulls up or lifts up several inches from the subfloor. Thankfully, the problem is not very common and typically occurs when a space remains flooded for an extended time period. Repair and replacement involve removing standing water and wooden boards to allow for air circulation above and below the flooring. Hardwood floor repairs can be made once the floor has been dried. Crowning Crowning is the opposite of cupping. It occurs when the board’s center is higher than its edges. Again, it most commonly occurs when the surface gets exposed to moisture and absorbs it. Crowning occurs when prolonged humid conditions or unaddressed standing water causes the wooden surface to saturate. Crowning can also arise if the hardwood floor was initially subject to cupping and was sanded without allowing the moisture content to return to its normal level. When you don’t give enough time to the floor to dry, the sanding process will cause the raised board edges to flatten when you lift up the center of the board, thereby resulting in crowning. Call for Professional Drying Services If you track any of the hardwood floor moisture warning signs discussed above, call your local water damage restoration company at your earliest. The longer you wait, the greater the damage will be. For emergency drying services, contact STOP today.