Why Is My Hardwood Floor Spongy? How To Fix It?
Hardwood floors are popular and beautiful but sometimes, they can look downright beat up. Spongy or soft spots on wood floors isn’t right and you should determine the cause of the problems and fix it. You can hire a flooring specialist for it and if it’s due to water damage, consult a mold remediation expert as well. Let’s begin!
Causes Of Spongy Spots On Hardwood Floors
Spongy hardwood floors is a common problem. It is also known as buckling or cupping of the hardwood floors and it is the forming of indents in the floor when you walk on them or put too much weight on them. So, here are all of the reasons why it happens.
Water Damage
Wood and water don’t go well together. It is a combination that never works and it is something that is going to lead to problems every single time. If you have hardwood floors, then it is common for them to fall victim to water damage.
Usually, after a flood or a burst pipe in the house, water can accumulate all over the floors and it can cause the floors to become spongy. This is because the water settles into the porous wood and makes it soft and spongy.
Pipe Leaks
The next thing that can cause your hardwood floors to become spongy is leaking pipes. Pipes are everywhere in your house. They’re either embedded in the walls or even the floors of the house.
So, if a pipe leaks after some time and if it’s underneath the hardwood floors, you’re not going to notice it until it’s too late. You want to see for leaks right away, otherwise, the water will cause the wood to soften and then the floors will be ruined for good.
Faulty Floor Heating Mechanism
This might not happen to everyone, but a lot of people have heated floors and hardwood floors are really common to be equipped with a floor heating mechanism. This works by connecting pipes of water flush with the floorboards. Through the pipes passes hot water.
Well, these pipes can also leak and since they’re in close contact with the hardwood floors, spongy floors won’t be far away, especially if you don’t notice it for a long time. This is why heated floors are very difficult to manage and handle and you need to have a close eye on the pipes because there are too many of them and they can leak.
Only Wet Cleaning The Floors
When you’re cleaning the floors, a lot of the time, you might just make do with a mop. While it is okay, you don’t just want to leave it at that. Wet cleaning the floors will lead to spongy floors. Not overnight, but it will eventually.
And things can worsen if you don’t let the wet and soppy layer dry quickly. So, it is necessary that if you are going for wet cleaning, then you want to dry everything up as soon as possible so that water doesn’t have time to penetrate the wood and get it spongy and soft.
No Sealing
Hardwood floors are porous and aside from maintaining them as usual, you also want to seal them. This will prevent water from going into the hardwood and it will not cause spongy floors.
Most of the time, people either forget or don’t bother sealing their hardwood floors and this, in turn, can cause a lot of problems with the floors, including discoloration, mold production, and spongy floors. So, bite the bullet and seal your hardwood flooring. You won’t regret it in the long run.
How To Fix Spongy Areas On Hardwood Floors?
Now that you know how hardwood floors can get buckled or spongy, here are some easy fixes that will save your hardwood floors from this problem in the future.
Fix The Leaks
This one might be obvious but you want to fix the leaks right away. But you might be thinking: How can I tell if my pipe is leaking, that too underneath the floor? Well, you can always look for signs. First up, look for a watery and musty smell. There might also be a trickling or tipping sound of water coming from under the floors.
Also, you want to check for any discolored patches on the floor. That usually means that there is a water leak. Once you identify one, don’t wait for too long to get it fixed.
Be Quick With Restoration Process
Floods and water damage are pretty unfortunate, but it is also very common depending on where you live. This is why you don’t want to sit around and wait for the restoration to start on its own.
You want to pick up your own pace and get started on restoring the house and the water damage so that things don’t take a turn for the worst. You want to call in a restoration team immediately, because if you don’t, not only will you have to deal with spongy floors, but mold and fungus as well, which isn’t pretty at all.
Always Seal Hardwood Floors
This one is kind of a no-brainer, but if you want to get hardwood floors, then you have to seal them. This is like ruining them with your own hands and it’s not going to cut it. Hardwood is a naturally porous material, so it is essentially a sponge, but hard in texture and feel.
So, to reduce the amount of water seeping into the hardwood floors and causing them to become spongy, you have to take the extra step and seal them. It doesn’t take long, and once the sealing is done, it will last for months which is amazing.
Dry Clean Afterward
Wet cleaning is not the answer when it comes to hardwood floors. Hardwood floors are synonymous with maintenance, so you need to hold yourself true to your word and clean them with a wet mop first and then go over with a dry mop.
Yes, it may sound super tedious, but maintaining hardwood floors is never easy and if you want them to stay in pristine condition for longer, then you have to dry clean them too. This is only going to make your hardwood floors look and feel better and like brand new, so take your pick.
Maintain The Floors
You have to timely maintain your hardwood floors. This is something that may make you frown but the better you take care of your hardwood floors, the fewer problems you’ll run into in the future. So, you need to get them polished, waxed, and sealed from time to time.
The purpose is to not only make your hardwood floors look amazing but also keep the condition in check and when you’re maintaining them from time to time, you’ll notice all of the different problems too, hence catching them before they get worse than before.
Conclusion
Hardwood floors getting spongy is a huge problem and if it’s past a certain point, then you might as well replace them because they’re no use. In case of a flood or water damage, don’t delay hiring a water damage restoration Silver Spring team who can help you save many structures and items.
