The wood has soaked up the water and risen to the floor’s surface.
Most of the time, wooden floor is raised because people need to remember to give them the care it needs.
Because of this, this article will show you how to keep the floor from coming up and make your wood floors look as good as the day you got it.
Why does the wooden floor rise?
There are a few reasons why wood floors rise, but one of the most common is too much moisture in the air.
Other reasons are that the wood floors or subfloor needed to be put in right or that the floor needed to be taken care of daily.
Depending on how the wood flooring was installed and what kind of wood it is made of, it is more likely to lift for a certain reason. Because of this, it will also get worse more quickly. Or lesser degree.
Unfortunately, it should be said that sometimes, if your wood floors have worn down a lot, it may be too far gone to be fixed, so you will have to replace the damaged part.
But if the damage isn’t too bad and the floor can still be used, we’ve put together a list of why the wood floor rises and what to do in each case.
Excess moisture
Wooden floors can soak it up and get bigger when there is a lot of water vapor in the air. It can also happen because of a water leak. If we leave the floor wet for a long time, the water gets into the wood and warps it.
Most of the time, these two things happen when wooden floor or laminate flooring is installed “floating,” which means that platforms apply without any glue or other material that holds them to the floor (such as nails).
Floating wood floors are usually placed on top of battens to reduce noise when people walk on them or pull furniture across them. Because of this, it “floats” on top of the floor and lets water in more easily.
If you see signs that the wood floors are swelling or rising and you think it might be because of humidity, you should first find out why the floor is swelling:
If there is a water leak, you must first find it. Sometimes a pipe goes under the wood floors, so we can’t see a leak there from the outside.
Once you find the damaged area, you’ll have to stop water from getting to it. If that’s not possible, you’ll have to remove the damaged flooring to stop more damage.
Before putting the wood floors back together, ensure the area is completely dry. The material may still lift if the area is wet when we put it back together.
It’s also possible that there is too much moisture in the air. In this case, we’ll have to find out if some windows or doors aren’t properly sealed, the walls or floor aren’t waterproof, or the air in your area is too humid. The wood floor moisture level in your room has to be ideal.
We suggest you seal all the doors and windows well and use a catalytic stove or a humidifier to reduce the humidity. Remember to do it step by step! If the humidity drops quickly, the wood can crack.
Incorrect installation of floorboards or subfloor
Similarly to the first case, the wood floor can also be raised if there wasn’t enough space between the planks when it was installed to grow as the temperature rose.
It will get lumpy when the wood floor expands and can’t get through the other slats or the room wall.
There will be bumps on the surface, which will cause the floorboards to stack on top of each other.
This problem can be easily avoided by leaving enough space between the slats and the wall joints and a small gap between the floor and the doors when installing it.
But if it’s too late and the flooring hasn’t broken down, you can try trimming the planks that stick out to give the wood room to grow and reinstalling them.
Another similar reason is when the subsoil under the wood floor is not well placed or finished gluing, which causes the flooring to rise and rot.
To fix this, you should take up all the affected planks, have a professional, and add a new layer of cement before putting down the flooring again.
Poor daily maintenance of the wood floors
If you don’t take good care of your wood floors, they will tend to swell in the kitchen or bathroom, where liquids are likely to get spilled, and the floor is constantly scrubbed.
For this reason, it is very important to dry up any liquid that gets on the floor right away, and if we want to clean the floor, we will have to wring out the mop very well to avoid leaving puddles on the floor, which can cause the wood warp.
But there are waterproof laminate floors that can handle moisture much better and are made in a way that makes them waterproof.
Tips in case the wood floors rise
Don’t worry if the wooden floor goes up because of these things. There are some tips and tricks that will help you figure it out.
First, if the problem is in the subfloor, you must take up the floor and figure out what went wrong.
The best thing to do is to put down a new layer of cement. For example, you could let it dry and then put back the wooden floor, but only if the subfloor is in good shape.
Before doing anything else, you should figure out why the wooden floor rises if it isn’t just because of humidity.
If you cleaned with too much water, you’d need to dry the whole surface. Once this is done, the wood floor can be used again (if it is in a good state). The plan is to polish and then varnish the piece.
If the wood floors rise due to too much humidity, you must fix it. Use a humidifier or make sure the doors and windows are well sealed.
After that, consider using the wood floor again or getting a new one. Remember to polish and varnish the wood if you can do the first thing.
What is the best way to fix it?
You might think the answer is obvious: you need to get new floorboards to replace the broken ones.
But there is a lot more to do than change the floorboards. Read about how to fix buckled wood floors.
How to avoid the wooden floor from lifting?
If the floor is at ground level, it’s probably because a pipe or drains somewhere is leaking.
You should look for mold, mildew, discoloration, or water spots as signs of dampness. Most water and waste pipes are underground and must be in good shape.
The easiest way to avoid the problem is to make sure you leave enough room for the floor to expand when you put it in. If you put in a floor without leaving a space for it to grow, it may rise in the middle of the room and make a bump.
After putting in your floorboards, you should also remember to let the floor dry and leave a gap. This is especially important when putting down floors in places that get wet.
Should I leave it alone, or should I try to fix it?
If you don’t like your wooden floor, you might think it’s best to forget it. But your floor could be hurting you more than you realize.
If you want to fix a buckling or bulging floor, you should think carefully about what you are doing.
You might be able to make things a little better, but you could end up hurting your floor even more than you already have.
Your floor is valuable, so you must do it right. If something goes wrong, you might have to replace it. Before doing any work on your floor, you should decide if you need a professional or can do it yourself. Discover: fixing and preventing cupped wood floors.
Final thought
Wood floors are well known for soaking up water. This moisture can hurt wooden floors, but it doesn’t mean you need to replace them.
Solid wood flooring that lifts in the middle of a room is a common problem. A wood floor will usually buckle because the subfloor below has too much moisture.
Many things can cause the subfloor to be wet, such as a roof that leaks, a lack of drainage, bad maintenance, and floors exposed to high humidity.
We recommend, above all, that a professional do the installation. If the wood floors have already been lifted, you should talk to a professional about how to fix or replace them.
This way, you won’t have to worry about damaging the floor, which would cost more to fix.