The use of wood as a floor-covering material has been popular for hundreds of years. Apart from being safe and avoiding friction on the floor, wooden floors look more aesthetically pleasing to beautify your home.
Wooden floors are also considered more durable. This can last up to 20 years or more with good and proper care.
Wood floors are generally made of solid wood, such as oak, maple, ebony, walnut, or cherry, so they can last for decades.
However, solid wood floors are not recommended for use in areas with high humidity as they may cause damage, such as buckled wood floors which are a popular problem in this neighborhood.
Are your floors most likely bent, twisted, and not flat? What if you could easily, cheaply, and quickly restore your floors to being flat?
If you have the same concerns about your floors and are looking for how to fix buckled wood floors, this article is for you.
What Causes Buckled Wood Floor
The high humidity level is a major cause of buckled wood floors. Significant factors affecting this are climate and temperature changes. Naturally, in hot temperatures, wood can expand on its own and shrink when it gets colder.
A wooden floor dries out like a human being when it does not get enough moisture. In winter, the air becomes dry, and the floor shrinks due to the lack of moisture. This creates seams and sometimes even cracks.
In the summer, this works the other way around, and then there is too much moisture. A wooden floor absorbs all the available moisture. This causes the wood to expand, and the floor sometimes bulges.
Furthermore, the foundation of the floor that has not been completely dry before installing the wooden floor also causes the buckled wood floor, especially if this is made of concrete susceptible to moisture.
In addition, improper installation will cause the wood floor to buckle. Mostly, this happens due to a need for more consideration of several things, such as room for wood to expand when installing it.
The poor installation also can cause wood floor buckling. The issue is not usually obvious right away.
It may take several years to see signs of a cracked floor, but the longer you wait, the more expensive it can get.
Lack of room to expand will react badly to changes in temperature and humidity. As a result, the floor becomes easy to swell and ends in a buckled wood floor in a short time.
How to Prevent Wood Floors from Buckling?
Some wood floors are not as durable as they appear. This is the right solution if you’re concerned about your flooring buckling! This will prevent the floor from buckling and give it new life!
You can do some things to prevent your hardwood floors from warping or buckling.
- Immediately Clean Up Spilled Liquid. Wood can absorb water easily. This can cause the floor to swell and cause mold to grow on the surface or underside of the floor if left wet for too long. Therefore, immediately clean the floor using a soft cloth to avoid damaging the protective layer on the wooden floor.
- Adjust the humidity in the room. Climate change can damage wooden floors, so controlling indoor humidity is an important thing to do. You can use the air conditioner to control the temperature in the room to keep it stable.
- Installing a humidifier in the winter will keep the floor from rising. You can now restore the humidity level. In the summer, open the windows in the evenings or at night to allow moist air to escape and reduce humidity.
- Apply Finishing Coating. Even though it doesn’t make wood floors waterproof, a finishing layer will provide more protection to the surface of your wood floor.
Is it possible to fix a warped hardwood floor without replacing it? You can repair your hardwood floor, but it won’t be as easy as you think. If your floor is warped, you cannot just replace it.
Before laying down a new hardwood floor, you must cut the damaged boards and then repair or install a new subfloor.
You only need to replace the damaged part, not the entire thing. Hiring a professional can save both your floor and your money.
How to Fix Buckled Wood Floors?
What if your wooden floor is already buckled? Is replacing the main solution to overcome it? It depends. If it is minor damage, you can follow a few initial steps to fix buckled wood floor below instead of installing new hardwood flooring.
- Dry the Floor. Before you replace it, try to dry the entire area of the hardwood floor with a dehumidifier. A dry wood floor will return to its original shape. After shrinking, there may be some gaps exposed. You can use wood filler to fix any of these gaps.
- Sand the Floor. If a hardwood floor has been left to buckle for too long, you can sand the entire surface of the hardwood floor to bring it back into shape. Be sure to fix any source of the problem first.
- Recoat Its Surface. After sanding, the appearance of the wood floor will look less good. You can recoat the surface of your wood floor with several layers of finish. Choose a finish that can beautify as well as protect your wood floor.
The average person cannot successfully repair a buckled floor using the techniques they see online. What if the steps to fix buckled wood floor above don’t work and the wooden floor is still buckled?
One thing you can do, like it or not, is to replace your wooden floor with a new one or ask a professional. Make sure you choose good wood materials, so your wood floors are not easily damaged.
How much does it cost to fix a buckled wood floor?
A pro-to-fix floor typically costs between $4 and $8 per square foot. When repairing a buckling floor, there is no one-size-fits-all option. Flooring is a large investment; if it is not properly maintained, you may have to replace the entire floor.
“A professional can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000” to repair a buckled floor, depending on the project’s magnitude.
The price depends on the type of wood used, the floor’s thickness, and the buckle’s size. Repair costs vary greatly based on the type of damage.
There are numerous repair options available depending on where the buckling occurs. For example, a floor that buckles due to dry wood may only need light sanding, whereas a damp wood floor may require total restoration.
Repairing buckling floors can be costly. They’re also difficult to repair because you’ll have to remove the broken portions, patch the floor, and replace them.
This is why many homeowners decide to replace the floor completely. However, it can be expensive, especially when labor and supplies are considered.
A new oak floor can range in price from $3,000 to $4,500.
White Oak is the best material for Wood Floors
Careful consideration is needed in choosing materials for your residential wood floors because this also affects their durability. What type of wood is good for use as a wooden floor?
So far, oak wood, especially white oak, is still the favorite choice as the best material for construction materials and wood floors that will beautify your home.
Naturally, oak wood contains tannins which make this wood very resistant to attack by insects such as termites and fungi. In addition, this wood is also resistant to water.
Therefore, oak wood flooring is not easily weathered and has a long life, making it suitable for outdoor furniture. Even white oak that has undergone some processing is fine in bathrooms and other damp places.
The color of white oak wood tends to be more yellowish brown with an even wood color. White oak also has a denser structure, making it easier to accept stains or an even finish.
Final Thought
Repairing a buckled wood floor is a time-consuming task that involves substantial expertise, skills, and tools. Remove the damaged flooring section, cut out the damaged sections, and replace them with fresh wood.
It’s a time-consuming and laborious task. You may consider hiring a professional to conduct the task if you have little children.
If unsure where to begin, you can always ask your local flooring store for a price estimate. If you don’t have the money, you can do it yourself. It is, however, complicated and perhaps deadly.
You’ll need to purchase or rent the necessary tools, and if you’re not careful, you could destroy your flooring and ruin your investment.