Repairing Minor Problems That Come with Wood Flooring
Hardwood flooring is considered a treasure in your home. Peeling back the corner of carpet and finding that gorgeous wooden potential is one of our favorite things about remodeling. Whether you’re having new wood flooring installed, or you’re trying to bring old wood flooring back to life it’s important to understand what can and will eventually go wrong. As with anything else in your home, wood flooring will experience regular wear and tear. It’s extremely important to understand this and to be prepared for it.
There are numerous fixes that you can do yourself with just a little bit of personal education. Speak to the people installing the floor about the likelihood of some of these issues coming up. They can tell you exactly what needs to be done, and when to repair or replace a plank if need be. The best way to save money and to preserve the Integrity of your home is to understand how to do simple fixes by yourself.
Wood flooring is known for being incredibly durable. It’s one of the most widely used flooring Technologies, and it’s this way because of how long it lasts. Hardwood flooring can be sanded and refinished several times throughout the life of the planks. This is ultimately determined by the thickness of the planks, and by the type of flooring that you’re using. There are several softer Woods that can be used for flooring, but these aren’t recommended for high traffic areas. For the highest traffic areas, you want to consider things like Oak and Hickory. They will withstand the test of time, and can withstand much of the abuse that comes with constant traffic.
Newer wood flooring isn’t going to need repairs as quickly as flooring that’s been refinished. This is because it’s already been seen to by a professional, and the quality is already guaranteed. It’s best to get any wood flooring supplies from the original retailer. They can offer you everything you need to install or to make these minor repairs yourself. They can also make recommendations on the best products for the type of flooring that you have. Whether it’s engineered or hardwood can make a huge difference, and it’s important to have spare planks as well. These are just a few of the more common things that can happen to wood flooring:
Broken Planks
This doesn’t necessarily mean that an entire plank is broken in half. This can also just be small splits or cracks that pop up in the wood as it’s used over the years. The constant pressure from furniture and walking can cause the small splits. An easy way to overcome this is to Simply nail the two pieces of wood together. Then, use a little bit of wood putty to fill in the hole and to cover the presence of the nail. This can leave your floor looking professional and take care of any unsightly blemishes. It also stops things that can catch on people’s feet and end up cutting the skin or tearing socks. If the crack is too large or the plank is too near to Breaking, then the whole thing might need replaced. In this instance, make sure to call in a professional.
Cupped Flooring
This happens when the edges of the wooden planks begin to rise away from the floor and the center seems to sink. This is often the result of inconsistent humidity within your home, and can usually be remedied by balancing things out. Get some dehumidifiers and figure out the source of the excess moisture. There’s a good chance that the floor will return to normal once the house Finds Its balance. If this doesn’t work, make sure that you call a professional company to come in and identify the source of the problem.
