Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Jun 27, 2008 9:06 am Hi all. I have a bedroom with water damaged timber floorboards caused by
rainwater entering from a hole in the roof and ceiling. I estimate upto 50 litres has passed thru the boards over the past 3 months. The floorboards are bowed quite noticeably. They are tongue and groove, I think they are either cyprus pine or tasmanian oak. They were laid in 1942. An insurance assessor has allowed for their replacement (about half the floor area of the room) however 2 seperate Builders have suggested they just require sanding down. Replacing them presents problems in sourcing boards to match the remaining boards and would require the dismantling/reassembly of a large built in wardrobe. I would be happy to just have them sanded but am concerned that they may continue to bow as I suspect there is alot of moisture sitting atop a ceiling directly beneath the floor. Do the quick fix and sand or go the hassle of replacement ? Re: Water damaged timber floor - sand down or replace ? 2Jun 27, 2008 9:15 am First, fix the water problem (one would assume you have)
If there is still water underneath, it won't help anything, it needs to be gone and the board need to be completely dry before sanding or they will continue to move. If it's not an issue, I'd wait a while longer to let then finish moving and dry out. Re: Water damaged timber floor - sand down or replace ? 3Jun 27, 2008 1:53 pm Al is quite right. There are priorities here. Structural drying is required firstly. Has a water damage restoration technician attended? They will assess and measure the damage, undertake proper structural drying, and manage indoor air quality issues at the same time (mould etc. The insurance co should have appointed someone to do this. After all has dried, again the insurand co should appoint qualified tradies to assess whether restoration or replacement is best. It shouldn't be your problem. That's what you pay them for, (although you should be advised and consulted).
Ash. Re: Water damaged timber floor - sand down or replace ? 4Jun 27, 2008 6:35 pm Theres a pretty massive difference between Tassie oak and cypress pine - noticably the pine knots in the cypress.
My money is on it being cypress, in which case you can match fairly easily. Hardwood floors in those days tended to be single species rather than mixed so its probably not Tassie Oak - that trade name wasn't even around in those days. Intergrain make a product called TSS which is a timber sterilising solution for water damaged timber which halts any rot/decay which may have set in. Its hard to recommend what to do without seeing it first hand. The most likely cause of your timber swelling (parquetry?) is either a plumbing leak or carelessly leaving water on floors after use or both. Without seeing, i am ignoring… 1 3257 It's hard to comment as the photos area bit dark ( you might need a new 15 - just got one and wow ) Jokes aside, I can see one member that is cracked. I would find a… 2 2195 ok thanks - yes was wondering if that should have been listed as Option Three! 2 7712 |