Drying A Water Damaged Timber Floor With Injectidry

There is a technique being used by water damage specialists to dry and restore a water damaged timber floor known as Injectidry. It has been believed by some people that the only option open to them after their timber floors have been damaged by water is replacement. This is not always the case.

The Injectidry system works by placing panels on the floor and sealing them so they are airtight. Hoses are then attached to the holes in these panels and these hoses are then attached to the injectidry system. When the system is turned on suction is formed underneath the panels. This then forces air between the subfloor and the wet timber floor by way of the grooves in the boards and this starts the process of drawing the moisture out. At the same time a dehumidifier is set in the middle of the room to remove the moisture from the room.

As long as the water that has flooded the floor is clean there should be no need to remove or replace the affected floor boards. Another factor that is important to the success of this method is that it is undertaken within 12 hours of the flooding. As long as there are no visual signs of molds forming you can expect that the water restoration system will be successful.

People who have used this method of drying have found that within one or two days the flooring has been dried back to its pre-flooded condition.

The Injectidry system does not have to be limited to drying floors with success also reported when using it to dry out ceilings and walls. The system has been specifically developed to target areas of hidden moisture wherever it occurs. Surfaces that have been coated with watertight finishes such as PVA paint, double-sheeted fire walls, insulation, vinyl wallpaper and floors are all capable of being dried using this system.

The units that are used are the Injectidry HP 60i which is an industrial grade high pressure drying system that is designed to dry inside trapped spaces including wall cavities. The Injectidry HP60FDP is an industrial grade high pressure floor drying package.

Take a look at the Injectidry System in action:



It would definitely be worthwhile checking out the official website of the Injectidry System.

Hardwood Floor Water Damage

Repairing water damage on a hardwood floor is a task that may be necessary from time to time on a small scale with intermittent spillages or minor leaks. Alternatively you may be faced with major water damage following flood or a large body of water that has saturated your hardwood floorboards.

Repairing Minor Hardwood Floor Water Damage

If you have discovered a minor leak that has allowed water to seep onto your hardwood floorboards, there may be a single spot that has become damp and discoloured compared to the rest of your floor. In this case there are some simple steps that you can take to repair the hardwood floor water damage.

Firstly, make sure you have identified the source of the water damage and fixed it completely. Any later repair work will be for nothing if you do not seal the leak or repair the pipes from where the water is coming.

Next, you may be faced with a spot that is discoloured and possibly swollen and cracked. The wood grain has become affected by the water damage and has reacted. Dry out the affected area until it is completely dry before beginning any restoration work on it.

Begin by sanding back the affected area starting with a coarse sandpaper before moving back to a finer grit. Once the area has been sanded back and the stain edges are smooth treat the area with a wood sealant that matches the rest of the floor. Following one coat of sealant it may be necessary to sand it back before adding another coat.

Some kind of blending process may have to be done so that the damaged area winds up looking the same as the original floor.

Major Hardwood Floor Water Damage Repair

When a lot of moisture has been absorbed by a hardwood floor the most common result is that the wood expands. When the boards expand they become wider and one of two things might happen, you might have a buckled floor or you may have a floor that is cupped. In either case you are left with a seriously uneven floor.

In order to restore the water damaged hardwood floor without having to pull up the entire floor and replace it you can use a process known as
desiccant dehumidification. This is carried out by bringing in a desiccant dehumidifier which if very effective at reducing the humidity level in the air. The desiccant dehumidifier can be run under sealed conditions to completely remove the moisture from the area. In this case you are removing moisture from the floorboards.

Running a dehumidifier for an extended period will help to reduce the swollen floorboards and counteract the cupping or buckling that has taken place. As the moisture is drawn out of the air it will also be drawn out of the hardwood floorboards and they will shrink back to their normal size. Effectively you want the top surface of the floorboards and the bottom surface to be balanced in moisture content.

An illustration of a cupped wood floor

Once the floor has been properly dried and the moisture is removed from the surrounding area, the floor can be sanded back and refinished so that it is returned to its original smoothness again.
If the hardwood floor has become so buckled that it has come completely away from the subfloor to which it was attached it may be necessary to call in a hardwood floor installer to reattach the planks.

In all cases when dealing with repairing hardwood floor water damage the key to a successful restoration is to completely remove the moisture that caused the original damage in the first place. No matter how carefully you carry out your restoration, if you haven’t fixed the origin of the water the problem will return and cost you even more of both your time and money.

Here are some more water damage restoration articles

Water Damage Restoration for Floors and Walls

Drywall Water Damage

Basement Water Damage

Deodorizing A Water Damaged Carpet