Water Under Hardwood Floor Mold

Use fans to circulate the air in your home and have patience as your floors dry.

Water under hardwood floor mold.

Mold begins to grow after 48 hours of water damage occurring. As a hygroscopic material wood will typically absorb or let off moisture until it reaches an equilibrium with its environment. Clean with clean water in a bucket. Homeowners may have a tendency to think that the floor is warping due to faulty installation or that even the wood itself is somehow at fault.

Another issue of growing concern is the development of mold or mildew beneath the flooring. Chances are that the water damage happened a while ago if the floor itself has started to warp. Additionally excess moisture can promote the growth of mold and bacteria weakening the wood and creating health hazards when they multiply. After severe water damage it is likely that wood floors will have to be replaced.

A water damaged wood floor can remain above 18 mc for over a month. 3 check under the hardwood floorboards. Scrub the floor mix a mild detergent and a compatible disinfectant such as mr. Hardwood flooring systems are incredibly sensitive to moisture.

Unfortunately for your hardwood floors that means they are vulnerable to damage and mold growth underneath them when there has been water or flood damage. Next dry the floors completely by pumping out standing water then mop and towel the surface dry. The moisture temperature and dust layer beneath a wet wood floor provides a pretty good environment for mold. Wood is specifically susceptible to mold growth so it is important that you ensure that the floor and the sub floor are completely dry.

Scrub the entire floor and all related woodwork baseboards stairs and newel posts etc with a stiff brush rinsing the brush frequently in the bucket. If this has occurred it will also need to be replaced before installing new dry hardwood floor. Leaving wet floors naturally air dry is not worth the potential risk. To dry beneath wood floors which have been flooded first you should remove any wet floor coverings such as rugs or carpet.

Mold and mildew thrive on moisture and reproduce by means of tiny lightweight spores that travel through. If floors have cupped popped or cracked it may be an indication that the sub floor has experienced water damage as well. Mold is capable of growing on most materials with a relative moisture level of 16 or higher. How much water is too much water damage doesn t have to be severe for mold to grow.