Locate a Leak and Repair a Buckled Wood Floor

This article will be brief and focus on one type of floor system and how to stop the leak. There are many potential leak sources, and each falls within completely different parameters for repair.

Steps

  1. Go to the area where the floors is buckled, and observe the conditions there. Determine if the floor is built on a concrete slab or built off grade, on wood joists with sub flooring. Each condition will require different approaches to repair, and this article will attempt to deal primarily with wood floors installed on a concrete slab.
  2. There are several likely sources of the water leak, and until this has been located and corrected, repairing the floor will not give good long lasting results. The most likely source of the leak is the plumbing located in the wall adjacent to the damaged floor. By observing how close to the nearest wall the damage is, this may be ruled out or confirmed immediately. Look for walls which you know have plumbing pipes located in them, such as bathroom, kitchen, and utility (washer/dryer) rooms. Look for a return air register for the HVAC (air conditioning system) and if there is one nearby, remove the air filter and see if there is water present in the return air plenum. If this is the case, go to step 5.
  3. If your problem area is adjacent to a bathroom or kitchen wall, open the cabinets under the kitchen sink and bathroom vanity and look for water dripping. Also, look behind the water closet (toilet) for dripping valves and signs the bowl has overflowed. Look at the toilet tank and see if there is condensation on it. During the winter, after the toilet is flushed, cold water refilling the tank can even cause condensation to occur on the tank and drip, but it is unlikely enough would find its way to the problem area to cause the floor to buckle unless the toilet is flushed very frequently. If you have a dishwasher, you may have to remove the screws under the front edge of the cabinet above the door and slide it out to inspect the area behind it.
  4. Hopefully, the preceding search has found the source of the leak, and you will be able to handle the repair. Often it is simply a valve or coupling which can be tightened with an adjustable wrench. The wall stops (valves) located on the supply tubing to sinks and commodes are less likely to leak if they are turned on completely. Clothes washers can have leaks in the pump, tub, and flexible water supply hoses, so it might help to pull the washing machine out away from the wall and look there, as well.
  5. If you have found water in the space in the wall behind your air conditioner air filter, the evaporator coils may be dirty or the condensation drain pipe may be clogged, causing the drip pan to overflow. Using a wet/dry vacuum and a soft brush, you can try to clean the inside of the evaporator coils, but this is a difficult job and it is normally not easy to get to it. Here, calling a plumber or HVAC technician may be your best bet.
  6. Finally, we reached the point where we may be able to address the original question. Often, wood floors that are bulged will dry out and return to their normal condition on their own, especially laminated floors or parquets which have not been exposed to moisture too long. Simply towel up or vacuum out all the water you can, and allow to dry. Placing a fan or space heater near the wet spot will speed the process. If the floor is discolored or permanently buckled, you will have to pry up the area beyond the damage and go to a home center to find a matching product to replace it. Tongue and groove solid wood flooring will have to be cut with a saw and chisel, and this requires considerable skill and proper tools, so again, consider calling a professional for this.

Tips

  • Give areas that have been wet ample time to dry out before beginning to tear up floors. Wood is like a sponge, and does not dry and shrink back to original size overnight.
  • If none of these work, the search will have to spread out, look for signs of mildew in walls and along base boards where water may be leaking in the roof and draining down the inside of walls.

Warnings

  • Any water leak can cause more than just floor damage. Some people are allergic to mold spores and byproducts of wood decay, and permanent damage can be caused to structural elements of the home.

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