Hardwood Floor Repair

Most problems can be fixed, as long as you know what you are doing. Here are some of the common problems that a homeowner may experience with their hardwood floors and what can be done about them:

Splits and Cracks – Over time, many St Louis hardwood floors begin to develop small cracks as a result of the foot traffic they have endured. Tiny cracks can be spot repaired by homeowners themselves with a little wood putty and some careful sanding. Anything larger than an inch should be examined by a flooring professional to determine if the floor should be refinished or if the affected plank actually needs replacing altogether.

Gaps – The biggest enemy that any has to contend with is not a terrible toddler or a spiky stiletto but Mother Nature herself. The most common cause of the gaps that can appear between hardwood flooring planks is when fluctuations in the moisture levels in the home cause the wood to continually shrink and expand. Usually these gaps will come and go, depending literally upon the weather, but if they are larger than the width of a dime and seem to be sticking around a flooring pro should be called in to see if the whole hardwood floor needs to be tightened.

Buckling – A flooring plank buckles when it begins to become detached from the subfloor it was attached to. If your hardwood floors do seem to be buckling call in the pros right away because, aside from making the necessary repairs, the reason why the installation failed will have to be determined as well.

Warping – Hardwood floors that are warping can spell big trouble for homeowners. Warping and sagging are very rarely ever the result of wear or poor installation, the culprit is usually a fairly serious underlying moisture problem. The faster you call in the cavalry when you notice that you hardwood floors are sagging the better, as you have a better chance of keeping the damage (and the repair bill) to a minimum.

Scratches – As resilient as it is, that your hardwood floor will eventually get scratched is pretty much inevitable. Most hardwood flooring installers recommend that a hardwood floor should be sanded and refinished once every seven to ten years to keep it in tip top condition. You can rent a sander from your local home store and try doing this yourself but it is hard work and because the machines available to rent have nowhere near the power that a professional sanding machine does, the results tend to be so-so at best. Letting the professionals come in and do all the hard work will produce a better outcome in a much shorter time.

Hardwood floors can last for the lifetime of your home, but only if you take care of them. If your home has hardwood floors track down the name of a reliable local flooring company now, so that you will know exactly who to call when and if problems like those described above do occur.