Common Wood Flooring Issues And What Causes Them
Wood floor issues happen even to the best and most cautious owners of a wooden floor. Indeed, no matter how careful you are with your favourite wooden floor, how well you maintain it, and how much you succeed at protecting it from common issues, accidents could possibly happen and you will eventually find yourself in need of repairing your floor.
Now, wood floor repairs are definitely not something you would like to deal with. Besides putting your wooden floor at risk of something really serious and probably beyond repair, wood floor repairs could also take up quite some time, cause disruption to your day-to-day life, also be costly. However, you definitely want to take proper care of your floor which often revolves around professional service in order to make sure your wonderful floor is back to its initial beauty, glory, and durability and you will be able to enjoy it for many more decades. With the proper upkeep, real wood floors are designed to last up to a whole century. Of course, the best maintenance approach includes not neglecting minor and major issues and taking proper care for them on time.
In order to minimise the disruption and hassle caused by a wood flooring issue, it is best to start with prevention. Many of the wood flooring issues are, in fact, easy to prevent and avoid, you just need to understand the nature of the problem and know what to do. Of course, understanding what has caused the wood flooring issue and how to deal with it is also very important once the problem has already occurred. You don't have to neglect wood flooring issues even if they seem to be pretty insignificant to you, because there is always the risk of the minor imperfections growing bigger and causing more serious problems.
In order to help you take better care of your favourite real wood floor, no matter if it comes to solid wood, engineered wood, or parquetry, here we present you to a list of some of the most common wood floor issues and imperfections and what causes them.
Damaged and Missing Parquet Blocks
Likely causes:
- Due to electrical, plumbing, and other building works;
- Due to the removal of walls or fireplace hearths;
- Due to damage caused by water leaks and plumbing problems;
How to repair: A professional wood floor repair service will usually supply reclaimed or new wood flooring blocks and floorboards that will be the best match to the already existing floor. Blocks may need to be sized up, sanded, refinished and stained before fitting them to the rest of the floor by some of the installation methods such as nailing or glueing down.
Loose Parquet Blocks
Likely causes:
- Due to water damage caused by leaks;
- Due to general wear and tear;
- Failure or weakened wood floor adhesive;
- Issues with the subfloor;
How to repair: A professional wood floor repair company would remove the loose boards, then clean the subfloor or the underside surface, then fix the board back in place with the help of a high-quality and strong adhesive. In many cases, there is no problem with the subfloor underneath. However, rarely does it happen to be the subfloor, and in such cases, the professional team should further investigate the problem.
Gaps between the Wooden Floorboards
Likely causes:
- Due to expansion and contraction of the floorboards due to the impact of moisture, humidity, and temperature fluctuations; due to water damage;
How to repair: A professional wood floor repair team will fill in the gaps. A gap filling service is a professional treatment dedicated to fill in smaller gaps with a mixture of resin and sawdust material and larger and wider gaps with wood slivers.
Uneven or Raised Hardwood Floorboards
Likely causes:
- Due to damaged or eroded substrate;
- Due to ground movement under the floor;
- Due to flooding or changes to the groundwater table levels;
How to repair: Such serious wood flooring damage is approached by the wood floor repair specialist by lifting the damaged area first. Next, the damaged or eroded substrate will be completely removed and replaced by a new and levelled substrate. Finally, the wooden floorboards will be fixed back to place for an even and uniform surface of the floor.
Poor and Worn Appearance Including Scratches, Stains, Dents, Cracks, Aged Look
Likely causes:
- Due to previously badly performed re-sanding and refinishing services or no restoration services at all;
- Due to non-proper cleaning and maintenance routine;
- If the existing seals are inappropriate and obscure the wood;
- Due to general wear and tear;
How to repair: This is one of the most common and popular causes to hire a professional wood floor restoration and repair team. A professional team will and the floor's surface to perfection, removing all imperfections and smaller issues on the surface of the floor and preparing it for refinishing and staining.
Wood Floor That Is Difficult to Clean
Likely causes:
- Due to incorrect or no wood floor protection;
How to repair: A professional wood floor restoration team will take care of the floor by sanding it and refinishing it with a few coats of high-quality finishing product or sealant. The finishing product is chosen according to the requirements and needs of the project in order to ensure the best protection for the floor even in high-traffic and busy areas. Once the floor is refinished, it will be easy to maintain clean.
Missing Flooring Accessories
Likely causes:
- Due to general wear and tear;
- Other situations;
How to repair: A professional wood floor repair team will supply all the needed flooring accessories, providing a variety of designs and colours to match the existing flooring and the overall interior of the room.