How To Dry Out Floor After Leak? Effective Floor Drying Tips And Tricks

The good old concrete floors, despite all of their sturdy and visually pleasing functionality, can fall victim to several serious damages, the most common and major one of which is leaking or at worst, flooding damage. Now since either of these factors and as well as the damage cast by the two, can’t possibly be controlled in any way.

All that is left is the very concern of “How to dry out floor after leak” and the dire hunt for answers to this very real and most of the time very critical floor problem. 

The severity of the situation primarily lies in the fact that nearly every single type of floor gets drastically subjected to leak or flooding damage and even the sturdiest ones end up requiring entire replacements or high-end professional treatments. Nevertheless, it’s never too late to opt for treatments and fixes, as soon as you get to know about the damage that has been done to your flooring.

And you can always rely on the Pro Flooring Guide for seeking all the necessary info on how to deal with this situation, by learning about various practical and potential fixes for the situation.

Let’s begin without any further delay since the damaged floors have long been waiting to get addressed!

How To Know There Is A Water Leak 

The entire debate of “How To Dry Out Floor After Leak ” comes down to the first and foremost point of the identification of the very problem That’s because 

• Most of the time, the indications aren’t that visible and by the time one realizes the damage, it’s often way too late. 

• The water leak flood damages are likely to have a fairly low extent in the beginning, yet the situation often ends up reaching an irreversible point. Even a slight leak or spill has the tendency to give rise to huge destruction of the floors.

• Even if your wooden or let’s say any other solid floors have been sealed and waxed well, still they are always and highly susceptible to water damage. In other words, the point is to not remain in the impression that sealed or waxed wood floors can’t be affected by water, since the sealers and wax applications only serve as an additional protective barrier and never as a waterproofing element. 

So, in the first place, it’s always about being cautious towards even the slightest signs as well as about taking adequate preventive measures about any accidents involving spills or splashes. 

And as for the rest of the indication, we’ve got you a compilation of them, that too, for both wooden as well as concrete floors. 

Wooden Floor Water Leak Signs 

Wood or Hardwood Floors are generally easy to spot regarding water damage. However, we strongly suggest you do not always expect a “puddle” lying on top of your floors in terms of damage caused by moisture, as even a tiny spill or leak turning into floor discoloration could be the little (yet disastrous) root cause of the problem. 

 Let’s take a look at the rest of the signs

1. Appearance Of Dark Spots:

Such spots are actually the accumulation of mildew or mold and are usually difficult to be noticed since they almost appear as the wood pattern, making it hard to distinguish. The mold and mildew buildup is, of course, the result of the hardwood flooring being subjected to excessive moisture for a prolonged period of time. 

2. Defiling Of The Planks:

Wood flooring that has long (or short too!) been in contact with water is likely to get defiled, a phenomenon known as “Cupping” of the boards. The cupped wood floor planks often seem to have either raised edges or multiple dips. So if you notice any of such defaced points of your flooring, chances are that it’s high time to proceed to the treatment ASAP.

3. Lifting/ Collapsing Of The Planks:

When severely damaged, wood planks are also much more likely to get entirely separated from the subfloor or have been collapsed enough to lift up and leave their original positionings. This very phenomenon is known as “Buckling” and is one of the major issues of nearly all solid floorings with water damage being the primary reason in most cases. 

4. Crowning Of The Planks: 

Crowning is something that is caused by the upward bubbling of wood planks. Often the wood gets raised in the center and gets dipped down on the longer plank edges. The reason could either be a subfloor having moisture problems or this can also be caused by planks getting affected by moisture at the center. 

5. Discoloration Of The Floor: 

Any spill or leak damage is also likely to appear as slight discoloration on the wood floor surface. And despite seeming something very ordinary, this actually is one of the worst-case scenarios of leak or flood damage being done to the wood floors. That’s because the slight and nearly unnoticeable discoloration totally appears as a pattern, grain design, or color texture of the wood flooring.

6. Unpleasant Water Damage Odor:

When all else fails, that is, when you do not succeed in detecting your floors that have been troubled a lot, there’s this one indication with which you can never go wrong in identifying. This is none other than the unusual and of course nasty smell of water being accumulated at some or at worst multiple points of your Hardwood flooring, giving off that alarming smell. And even if you don’t necessarily smell water, you can always get notice the one coming from mold and mildew buildup. 

Concrete Floor Water Leak Signs 

Concrete floors while being the most serviceable and durable floor treatments are also the most deceiving ones, specifically when it comes to leaking or flooding damage. And this goes the same for your concrete slabs, too. 

Besides what serves as the fungus on the cake (it can’t be icing after all!) is the fact that most of the plumbing is often embedded in the concrete which makes it even more difficult to detect a leak/ damage or even possibly think about it. 

However, let’s not be critical anymore and take a look at those ways in which we can identify the problem and stop it from further worsening.

1. Audible Water Flow:

Remember the time when an entire Basilisk managed to hide in the plumbing of a Wizarding School and simply produced a few hisses? And keeping the fiction aside, this actually is a very real phenomenon where you are likely to hear water flowing or dripping under your floors or from your concrete slabs, but can’t possibly look for any running plumbing appliances or even faucets. That’s exactly when there has been a leakage (let’s hope it is not major flooding!) underneath your concrete flooring and now they’re at huge risk of developing serious damage, real soon. So you better be off looking for solutions at the moment!

2. Mysterious Carpet Dampening:

Your carpets keep getting dampened and at times wet without any apparent reason or source of moisture, The mystery simply lies in the fact that your carpets have long been a victim of water leakage coming from the concrete floors. And if you don’t do something about this issue, in time, you might end up calling carpet professionals as well, in addition to those folks reaching your place for fixing your floors. 

3. Spotting And Defiling Of The Floor:

Concrete floors going through leak or flooding damage often show warm spots on the surface, one of the most obvious indications. In addition to that, defiling of the floorboards, usually in the form of buckling or warping, is another common phenomenon experienced with concrete floors that have been subjected to leak or flooding damage.  

4. Water Pooling And Accumulation:

You often get to see multiple puddles of water pooling around your place and the interesting part is that there is no visible source or spot from where the water could possibly be coming from. Over and above, other versions of this situation can include water accumulation around the very foundation of your house, that too, without any obvious source or water spot nearby. The reason, of course, lies in the fact that your concrete floors are being damaged from within and the problem needs to be addressed very soon. 

5. Raise In The Bills:

Your water bills and ultimately energy bills have been rising unnecessarily high and that’s obviously due to the concrete floors that have been a victim to leak or flooding damage. 

6. Decreased Water Pressure:

Water Pressure is also much more likely to be drastically reduced in case there has been a leakage or flooding taking place some or long time ago. 

How To Dry Out Floor After Leak

So when you’ve come across any or all of the signs mentioned above for any of the floor types (concrete or wood), it’s high time that you proceed toward potential fixes and treatments without wasting any time. 

Remember that any delay will only worsen the situation, eventually making it irreversible. 

How To Dry Wood Floor After Leak

Here is a safe and effective method of addressing your Hardwood floors after a leak 

Tools And Supplies

• Wet-dry Vacuum
• Fans 
• Dehumidifier
• Disinfectant Cleaner
• Commercial Wood Floor Cleaner
• Scrubbing Brush
• Bucket or Container
• Microfiber Fabric
• Sugar Soap
• Baking Soda
• Hammer
• Floor Nails 
• Squeegee

Guide To Dry Wood Floor 

• Start by thoroughly clearing out your entire working area of yours which includes all the floor covering (carpets and rugs), furniture, and basically anything and everything around. Besides, most importantly, you’ll need to shut down all the electrical appliances in that very area. This goes the same for all of the junction boxes and wall plugs around. 

• Take a wet-dry vacuum and use it to remove all the standing water that’s visible. You’ll need to go over all the surfaces and objects that have soaked water, as well. A wet vacuum works a lot more efficiently than regular vacuuming and also the usage of a bucket and mop, providing a maximum output when it comes to sucking up water trapped inside the wood pores. 

• Next up, comes scrubbing of the wood floor grain, so as to lift up all the water that could be lingering in the wood fibers. As for scrubbing, you can either make use of the Baking Soda paste or simply a Disinfectant Cleaner, and be careful to not scrub vigorously at any point. 

• In case of huge damage, you might be required to remove an entire section of the affected floorboards as well as baseboards, in order to let them dry. And if the situation is less adverse, you can only consider removing the one-floor board that has been damaged. You can speed up the process of drying by pointing fans toward the board(s). 

• Set up an airflow within the room that has been affected by leak damage. For this, you can make use of several fans by running them on high speed, ideally placing them in all the corners of the room for creating perfect air circulation. Besides, your fans should be pointed outwards, instead of inwards so that all the air travels to the leak site. In addition to ventilation, you can take the rest of the help from your Heating system or AC system.

• Set up a dehumidifier within the affected area and let it do the job of drawing out all the water vapor from the floor and surroundings. You should ideally let the dehumidifier run for an entire day or at best a week, in accordance with the extent of the damage.

• As for the areas bearing mold and mildew growth, you’d want to go over them with either an antifungal or anti-mold product. Alternatively, you can also use a contractor-grade cleaning solution. Use a flashlight for a close inspection of the affected areas. 

• As for the last step, though it’s completely optional, you can consider checking the moisture content of your Hardwood flooring with the help of a moisture-testing meter, to determine if your floor is all-good to be used again. Making the floor functional again is only possible when the moisture content is below 5%. 

How To Dry A Concrete Floor After Leak 

Here is the entire solution for dealing with leak-affected concrete floors.

Tools And Supplies

• Mop
• Dehumidifier
• Fans 

Guide To Dry Concrete Floor 

• Clear out your leak site from all the furniture pieces, small and large surrounding items, electric appliances, floor coverings like carpets or rugs, and all the wiring and plugs that have a chance of coming in contact with the affected area. 

• Start by removing as much water as possible with either mopping, pumping or draining, so as to speed up the drying process and also prevent further damage from taking place.

• Next up, comes airing out (ventilating) the room completely. You can initially (and cheaply) do this by simply opening up all the windows present in the room for creating an airflow all around. 

• The rest of the job can be done by either pointing fans or at best Dehumidifiers to the affected area. Doing so will effectively ensure the maximum removal of all the moisture and humidity from not just the floor(s) but also from the surroundings, too. 

• You might as well, need to subject your affected floor area to a dehumidifier anywhere from two days to a couple of weeks, depending upon the extent of the damage. The level of humidity particularly needs to drop below 50%, since that’s the point when the floor is maximally free of moisture and the likelihood of mold growth is also diminished to a satisfactory level.

FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does It Take For A Floor Leak To Dry Completely?

The entire time span required for drying totally depends on to what extent the damage has been done and what exactly is its nature. The minimum time required for a floor leak to dry completely is up to 2 days. This, of course, can get extended to several weeks depending on the extent of the damage, whether it’s a limited leak or massive flooding. However, the drying time can always be accelerated in a number of ways, such as with the help of drying equipment. 

How To Dry A Floor Rapidly And Efficiently?

The very first step for doing this, is, of course, to remove all of the excessive water, as much as possible. Next up, is getting the assistance of heat drying since warm air offers a significantly better holding for moisture content as compared to the cold one. Thus, all you need to do is subject the wet surface to heat and it will dry a lot faster.  In addition to that, dehumidifiers are also an excellent way to dry your floors in a short period of time. Besides, if you haven’t got one, you can take similar help from ceiling fans or from any portable ones, as well. 

How Long Does Water Take To Damage Wood Floors?

Water damage, as a pretty unpleasant yet very real fact, can take place in a very limited period of time. Besides, even if the water damage is initially done to a small section of the floor or let’s say only a confined area of damage is visible, the damage can instantly penetrate through the entire flooring and can reach an irreversible extent real soon. Apart from that, the time required for water damage to take place also depends on the quantity of moisture content as well as the type of flooring you own. 

How To Dry A Wet Concrete Floor?

Start by removing all of the standing water as much as possible. As for addressing the rest of the damaging moisture content, you’ll need to make use of a Dehumidifier. Have it installed in the affected area and let it pull out most of the moisture from both the wet concrete floor surface as well as from the surroundings too. Besides, if you don’t wanna try any/ all of these methods or find them difficult or not helpful to some degree, you can always consider hiring professional services for getting the job done.  

How To Fix Water Damaged Concrete?

For fixing concrete that has been damaged by water, all you need to do is start priming the affected surface with any given primer, which seems suitable to you. Next up, comes the application of a leveling compound in a thin coating. In addition to that, you can also consider using a resurfacing compound if you don’t find the surface of your concrete floor to be entirely leveled or you’re looking forward to a texture restoration to the ground surface. 

Is It Possible To Fix Concrete After It Has Been Dried?

Concrete can absolutely be fixed once it dries completely. What needs to be done for this is to start by removing all the imperfections present on the concrete surface. Next up, comes the thorough vacuuming of all the debris, followed by the application of any suitable adherent. Finish off by applying a new layer of concrete and you should essentially be able to fix the entire condition of your concrete floor.