How To Repair Water-Damaged Hardwood Floors

For Brooklyn, NY homeowners with hardwood flooring, a little bit of in-home water can do a whole lot of damage. Over prolonged periods of time, water can warp, buckle, and/or cup hardwood flooring, leading to an expensive and time-consuming repair process.

Not all warped woodwork requires replacement, though. Some warped floors can be fixed as a DIY project using nothing but a dehumidifier and time. The key is to identify -- and rectify -- the water damage issue quickly.

Your first step is to dry all water-damaged areas thoroughly.

Using absorbent towels, remove traces of moisture from the damaged floor's surface. For standing water problems, use a water vacuum. If water entered the affected room by seeping through a wall, or falling through a ceiling, for example, make sure the water's source has been identified and "plugged". 

Next, rent or buy a dehumidifier.

A dehumidifier is a small, household appliance meant to reduce humidity in the air. Dehumidifiers are often used for health reasons but, in the case of water-damaged flooring, a dehumidifier can help to extract water from wood planks, returning the wood to its original, non-warped form more quickly.

With the above steps completed, if the warping persists, plan to wait. It may take a week, a month, or longer, but -- eventually -- for all but the most damaged flooring, your hardwood will return to shape. Expect the process to happen more quickly during winter as the wood contracts in colder, drier air. 

Lastly, if your floors have been damaged as a result of heavy rains or water entering your home from the outside, consider a professional inspection to identify how and why the damage occurred. Your gutter may be clogged, for example, which can result in overflows which can damage your home's foundation.

It can be labor-intensive to dry your wood floors. Compared to the cost of replacement, however, calling this a DIY can be sensible.

How To Clean Your Home Gutters

With the change of season, it's a good time to make sure your home's gutter system is clean and well-functioning.

Home gutters serve a specific purpose. By capturing and funneling rainwater away from a home "footprint" water damage to walls, windows and roofing can be minimized. A well-functioning gutter system can keep a home's basement from flooding, and a foundation safe from long-term structural damage.

Damaged or dirty gutters can lead to major home damage that may not be covered by insurance.

For homeowners in Brooklyn , keeping clean gutters is essential. Luckily, with the right tools, gutter maintenance can be a do-it-yourself job.

First, gather the necessary tools. You'll need a ladder for climbing; a bucket for holding debris; a hose for flushing your gutters; and a small, scooping tool such as a trowel.

Next, carefully climb to your gutter. Using your hands, scoop large debris and place it in the bucket. Use the trowel to get to hard-to-reach places and for removing sticks and leaves. For safety, do not stretch to reach the next section of gutter. 

After clearing the first gutter portion, step down from the ladder, move it to the next section of gutter, and repeat. Do this until all gutter sections are free from debris.

Next, find a garden hose with a spray attachment. Carry the hose up the ladder with you to the highest point of your gutter system -- usually opposite the downspout. With the water supply on, spray water into the gutter to flush the remaining debris.

If the water fails to drain, there's likely a clog in the downspout. Using a screwdriver, separate the downspout, find the clog, and remove it. Or, if you find standing water, adjust the slope of your gutter by removing the gutter hangers, fixing the slope, and re-attaching the hangers.

A gutter system should slope roughly one-quarter inch for every 10 feet of gutter. 

Gutter maintenance is a twice a year task that you can do yourself. However, if you're uncomfortable on a ladder, or prefer to hire professionals, that's okay, too. As with everything in home maintenance, it's safety first.

Homeowner Maintenance : Twice-Annual Gutter Cleaning

Gutters are designed to funnel rainwater away from a home. Properly working gutters help keep a home's basement from filling with water, and protect a home's foundation from long-term, structural damage, and keep a roof in tip-top shape.

In other words, keeping clean gutters is essential for homeowners. Thankfully, gutter maintenance can be a do-it-yourself job.

There are four main steps in gutter cleaning, summarized cleanly in this 4-minute video from Lowe's.

1. Gather your tools. You'll need a ladder, a bucket, a hose, and a trowel.
2. Scoop large debris from the gutter, using the trowel for hard-to-reach places smaller sticks and leaves
3. Flush the gutters using a garden hose and spray attachment
4. Remove clogs in the downspout and check for proper sloping

Gutter maintenance is a twice a year task and the Lowe's video offers helpful safety tips, too.  Of course, if you're uncomfortable on a ladder, or prefer to hire a professional, reach out to me anytime.

I'm happy to make a local gutter-cleaning recommendation.