Flooring usually doesn’t get enough recognition and attention. It has to deal with a lot of walking, jumping, running, dragging, etc. on a daily basis. However, when it comes to care and maintenance, vacuuming and mop-cleaning seem to be the only two care procedures most of us do. However, a lot of floors can be damaged throughout the years and severely hamper living comforts. To help avoid five-digits worth of repairs, here are a few popular causes of floor damage in most homes.
Moisture
Especially if your floor is made from wood, moisture is a definite killer. It can cause a variety of issues, depending on where it appears. Moisture just beneath the surface can accumulate and cause lumps and bumps or force the wood to suffer massive deformations.
If the moisture accumulates below the surface and closer to the foundation, it can weaken the structure and cause the floors to dip up until the point where the whole shape of the floor isn’t level anymore and is more like an inverted sphere.
Solution: Choosing waterproof wood-like Charred wood or burnt wood. Burnt or charred timber floors are known as Shou Sugi Ban and they’re breathable yet water-resistant. Check out this website to find out more about them.
Age
This appearance shouldn’t be a shocker. Floors, just as everything else, do age and with time they become more fragile, less dependable and less durable. The only way to prolong their service is proper maintenance.
High age-related floor problems are just a sign of wear and shouldn’t be accounted for as defects or faults. Squeaks, clunks, sinking, unevenness and cracks, as well as gaps, can appear due to the old age of the floor. However, if you want to change something, a renovation and replacement have to be done.
Solution: full replacement of the floors.
Pests
Termites can eat the surface beneath the floor and force the carcass beams to break which in turn causes the structure to dip slightly. Floors can dip, sink and even fall beneath the ground after termites do their job properly. This is why proper inspection of your foundation and full-on building inspection is not a useless service.
The damage that pests and termites can cause is very severe. It’s better to be safe than sorry in this case
Solution: inspections at appropriate times and extermination services.
Constructional and repair errors
This is the rarest of the problems listed here but it can still cause floor damage. Constructional errors usually hide beneath the surface and that is why they are difficult to spot.
Solution: using building inspection to find out any errors. The homeowners should be compensated for such errors.
