Wooden floors are known for being extra solid and sturdy. However, they are unfortunately not everlasting. Although with time you are going to notice many changes in the way your floor naturally looked when just installed, many of these changes don’t mean that the floor itself is in bad condition. In some other situations, you may not even notice the issue until it is already too late and your floor has to be replaced. Being aware of the most common wood floor issues and the main causes of these issues and challenges for your floor is the best thing you can do, so you can properly react to any change you notice and react on time, which is essential. We know that wood floor repairs are not the cheapest service in the world, however, replacement is way more expensive. In addition, when you invest in a wooden floor, you have to be aware that this type of flooring needs regular maintenance and care to keep its flawless shape and look.
Frequent maintenance routine, however nothing very complex, expensive and time-consuming. Making sure you clean your floor properly daily ask for a consultation and re-finishing your local wood flooring company now and then has to be just enough care. However, if you tend to neglect to maintain good condition and ignore the first signs of problems, you are most probably going to end up with a floor in need of replacement. Today we will explain the most popular signs that your wooden floor is hopeless and needs a replacement and when and why refurbishment and repair can save the day. Have a look below!
When does your wood floor have to be replaced and cannot be repaired?
The best thing about wooden construction is that it can be improved and repaired. This quality and benefit comes also for wooden floors and sanding, gap filling and re-finishing are among the most popular improvement services. However, sometimes even these are not enough to save the floor. Most commonly moisture and water are the biggest enemies of wood, however way too frequent traffic and no maintenance can also lead to replacement.
Your wooden floor needs to be replaced when:
- Boards that have begun to lift and get loose. Although loose and lifted boards can sometimes be fixed, they can also get cracked and broken and this is when they have to be replaced. Fortunately, you can replace only the damaged spots and not the whole floor.
- Boards that have started to cup, bow, sag or bend. Normally this happens when the bare wood suffers way too much moisture and excess water damage.
- Noticeable gaps appear between boards. Although the gap filling method shows very successful results, it usually works for gaps with certain sizes and everything bigger than this is unsalvageable damage.
- Discolouration of the boards beyond the colour development and maturation. Although colour changes are normal with time, some serious discolouration could be a sign of way too old wood or excessive exposure to direct sunlight that makes the boards thinner and easy to break.
- Warping and swelling of the floor. These issues are usually caused by moisture.
When refurbishment and repairs can save the day and your floor?
- Problems on the surface of the floor. Scratches and dents, smaller gaps, uneven patches and bumps.
- Worn off finish and colour.
- Chips and other minor surface and finish damages.
- Slight corrugation.
- Slight colour changes.
