De-warping oak flooring planks?

[Gigem]

Like many people here in Texas, I had a water line burst during our recent freeze event. Everything is fixed and back to normal, but I have a couple of oak floor boards that have warped a bit.

I'm not going to involve my insurance company, and I am not looking for perfection. Just wondering if there is a way to maybe flatten out these few boards.

I thought about hitting them with a heat gun to get them good and hot, then setting something flat an heavy on it overnight. Think that would do anything?

Any other ideas?

 

[Milton Shaw]

What kind of subfloor do you have under them. It may have been ruined from water and have to be replaced. The oak just needs to dry out and it would do that better if it was removed and stacked like lumber for air drying.

 

[alexb2000]

My oak cupped and the floor buckled. The buckled part has come down, but it isn't perfect. The cupping I've never seen go away on its own without heavy sanding.

In my case the floor is 2-1/4x3/4" red oak, so nothing special that can't be replaced.

 

[ford33]

Is it solid oak or a laminated product?

Just heating the wood is not going to work. You need steam generated from a hot water source.

If solid, you may be able to steam it straight using water and heat. Thin wood is bent this way for making furniture however the wood is solid not laminated and it is thin at 1/2" or so thick. You will need to remove the board from the floor to bend it back to shape.

You may be able to have someone machine i.e. plane the boards straight to remove twist and cupping. You would need to remove the warped boards from the floor, remove any metal in the wood, plane it using a wood sled that supports the bend in the board during the machining operation. You cannot machine a twisted board without a sled. The finished board is thinner after planning by the amount to bring it straight. Then install the floor board using a wood piece filler under the board to make up the difference in thickness compared to the other boards.

After all this it may be better to just replace the damaged wood using boards from an area not seen by people, i.e. closet or under a dishwasher or stove and replace those removed boards with something close to finish color.

Good luck.

 

[The Cobbler]

try running a dehumidifier for several days . A buddy had reasonable luck by tenting the area off with plastic & putting a dehumidifier in there

 

[Kaizen]

If real all the way through dry and sand it out.
If not solid wood probably done for.


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[Buckaroo5]

We have solid red oak flooring in the bathroom and have had several occurrences where it has gotten wet to the point that the boards cupped. Over a period of 2-3 months, they dried and flattened back to original shape - no heat or pressure and did not have to redo the finish. I would not use heat on it....just remove the source of the moisture and give it some time.

 

[Copymutt]

Don’t know all your particulars, but I’d be inclined to plane them flat and shim underneath to height. Only because I have a great planer.

 

[mike93lx]

Is it solid oak or a laminated product?

Just heating the wood is not going to work. You need steam generated from a hot water source.

If solid, you may be able to steam it straight using water and heat. Thin wood is bent this way for making furniture however the wood is solid not laminated and it is thin at 1/2" or so thick. You will need to remove the board from the floor to bend it back to shape.

You may be able to have someone machine i.e. plane the boards straight to remove twist and cupping. You would need to remove the warped boards from the floor, remove any metal in the wood, plane it using a wood sled that supports the bend in the board during the machining operation. You cannot machine a twisted board without a sled. The finished board is thinner after planning by the amount to bring it straight. Then install the floor board using a wood piece filler under the board to make up the difference in thickness compared to the other boards.

After all this it may be better to just replace the damaged wood using boards from an area not seen by people, i.e. closet or under a dishwasher or stove and replace those removed boards with something close to finish color.

Good luck.

Dry Heat bending does in fact work but I wouldn't expect it to without having access to the full board, allowing you to overbend slightly and then let the board rest to take the new "bend"

 

[Gigem]

This is real wood. Not laminate. Source of moisture has been addressed. I think I'll just let it dry for a while and see what happens.

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[Kaizen]

As time passes try whacking it with a soft blow mallet to make sure the mortise and tennons are aligned. They are round so it can move. Good luck. I’m sure any floor business is about to get rich in texas


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[Buckaroo5]

This cupping looks similar to what happened to my floor which flattened out over time. I would give it a few months as you intend. The process will be slow.

One thing interesting to note is that red oak will absorb water and white oak will not. They used white oak to build ships back in the day.

 

[Pntyrmvr]

I have a dishwasher that needed an new overfill limit switch that took 2 floods to diagnose.

Keep the humidity as low as possible nearby and wait it out.

A patch repair will push you to refinish the whole floor for colour matching. Waiting it out will just add to the patina of life every wood floor ends up with.

Remember no one is staring at it like you are.


“Talk is cheap. Whiskey costs money.”

 

[uppster]

I have seen this many times in my career in the floor business. I have read the other posts. Here is my recommendation, if you leave it alone, over time they will be fine. It may take a little longer since you are going into the high humidity season.

 

[matt_i]

I had success with a dehumidifier.

If there's staining, that won't come out. Sanding or replacing boards.

 

[yeldogt]

I agree with the leave it alone crowd ... it may take a few months. If you play with it -- it will never look the same and when it does go back it will be lower. Put a small rug over it if it's a trip hazard or fear of rubbing off the finish