It is important to remember that when it comes to water Damaged Bamboo flooring, we need to act fast!

For well-sealed bamboo flooring you have up to 20-32 hours to notice the damage and clean it up before the water completely penetrates your bamboo flooring, ruins the finish and deforms its structure.

In this article, we will go over just how Water Resistant Bamboo Flooring is, How to Dry it out & Repair or Replace it if it got water damaged.

 

Bamboo Flooring Water Resistance

Thankfully Bamboo flooring is one of the better floorings when it comes to moisture resistance. In fact, most bamboo floorings from good manufacturers will be more water-resistant than hardwoods.

If you can notice the water damage fast enough it’s possible to fix bamboo flooring without having to completely replace it and spend a lot of money doing so.

Is Bamboo Flooring Waterproof?

As with any other natural material, bamboo flooring is not completely waterproof. If you have spillage and it’s wiped up as soon as possible- it would not cause any damage to bamboo flooring.

Considering that Bamboo flooring is naturally very mold-resistant it’s better suited for high-moisture areas such as kitchens and bathrooms when compared to hardwoods.

However my first choice for bathrooms would still not be Bamboo flooring as it’s not completely waterproof, Vinyl or Tile would be a better choice for bathrooms.

 

Can bamboo Flooring get wet

Lights spills are completely ok for Bamboo flooring especially if they are wiped up immediately!

If we are talking about completely flooded house, you have a very limited time period to soak it up before the water damages bamboo flooring and makes it discolored & warped.

If you have a large water leak/flood situation it is advisable to professionally dry it out to avoid completely ruining the flooring.

A water damage restoration company will have special industrial-grade dehumidifiers that will help prevent swelling and warping of your bamboo flooring.

 

Can Water Damaged Bamboo Flooring be Repaired?

Water damaged Bamboo flooring can be repaired, however, the repair methods and your success rate will heavily depend to the extent of the damage and also how your bamboo flooring has been installed.

If there is slight discoloration and no real visible warping/cupping, the bamboo flooring can be re-sanded and re-stained quite easily without even having to take them up.

If there is visible cupping/warping/large gaps appearing on your bamboo flooring then it will need to be taken up.

If installed as Floating Floors : This will be quite easily done as you can simply take up the boards, replace the damaged boards with new ones, and re-use the good pieces. Usually, if the damage is not large enough this can even be done as a DIY Project.

For Glued Down Bamboo Floors: It will be extremely hard to remove the water damaged bamboo flooring without having to do a lot more work on the good bamboo pieces such as scraping off the old adhesive, also a lot of good pieces will be damaged as you are taking them up if you do not have enough experience.

For Nailed Down Bamboo Floors: It will also be very hard to remove the water damaged pieces without ruining a lot of the good pieces in the process.

This again would be a job better suited for a professional if the water damage does not covers the whole floor area and you want to re-use the current flooring.

Most Common Problems with Water Damaged Bamboo Flooring

If water is not soaked up fast enough and allowed to penetrate the bamboo flooring it will cause massive problems such as:

Visible Gaps between the boards: As the bamboo flooring absorbs water it will begin to swell, causing the floorboards to come apart/deform.

Visible Cupping/warping of the bamboo: As the bamboo continues absorbing water it will cause the boards to warp/bend and cup on the sides – This can not be fixed unless you run the boards through a jointer machine that will plan the boards at the same level again.

Possible mold growth: Perhaps the biggest problem, if the water isn’t dried out properly it will cause a huge mold growth between your subfloor and your bamboo flooring.

If you have a large enough water spill and you have managed to soak it up with no visible damage to the bamboo flooring itself, it’s crucial to make sure that no water is left under the flooring as it can cause massive problems not only for your bamboo flooring but for your whole house structure/subfloor!

A Water Damage Restoration Company will have industrial-grade special dehumidifiers to dry out the water under the floors without having to take them up.

 

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Need to Dry out your Bamboo Floor?

Call 844-994-1288 now for a Risk Free estimate from a Licensed Water Damaged Floor Restoration Specialist in your area.

We Can Help Dry out & Repair your Bamboo Flooring!

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How to Fix Water Damaged Bamboo Flooring

The Methods to fix your Bamboo Flooring will heavily depend on how bad is the damage, the type of your flooring, and how it has been installed.

In this section, we will go over all you need to know if you want to Remove water from your flooring & Repair your Water Damaged Bamboo flooring.

Water Removal

The first step is to completely remove any visible water from your bamboo flooring, after it’s close to being dry, only than, we will be able to see the extent of the water damage.

For Small Spills: Use mop / old clothes/rags to collect the water as soon as possible.

For medium spills with plenty of water to collect: Consider hiring a wet-vac to collect the water combined with Mop/Old Rags.

For Floods/Very large spills/busted pipe situations especially in large houses/commercial buildings: Consider calling a water removal specialist immediately that has the equipment to collect large amounts of water very fast before any damage is done to your bamboo flooring or subfloor.

See our Guide about: Wet Subfloors

Getting Moisture out of Bamboo Flooring

After you have removed most of the water it’s Crucial that you get all of the moisture out of the bamboo flooring /under it as it can wreak havoc on your house if not properly done.

For small Leaks: In warm weather Open up all windows if possible for good ventilation, place water-absorbent pads directly on your bamboo floor and consider hiring a small dehumidifier that you can place directly above the area. This process can be done by yourself quite easily.

Fans will also help speed up the drying process!

For large leaks/Flood Damage: In theory, This can still be done by yourself,however, A LOT of Dehumidifiers would be needed.

In practice, it’s better left for a professional,as they already have all the equipment needed and of much better quality that can effectively pull out the moisture -from the bamboo flooring itself and under it!

Often this is cheaper as well than hiring the equipment yourself and risk damaging the flooring/subfloor by not properly getting all of the moisture out of your bamboo flooring and under it.

Refinishing Water Damaged Bamboo Flooring and Removing water stains

If you have successfully removed all the moisture out of your Bamboo flooring often there will be some damage & stains left.

For Discolored bamboo with black/brown stains: If the stains aren’t extremely deep in the wood and the water hasn’t caused the pores of the bamboo fiber to swell up and deform you can use either a regular Random Orbital Sander or Hire a floor Sander to re-sand the flooring and apply a new coat of laquer/finish.

• Start with a 40 or 60 Grit sandpaper for rapid removal of the damaged layer of bamboo,
• Than Continue with 80-100 grit sandpaper to even out the flooring and make it smooth and the same level,
• Finish off with a 180-240 sandpaper for a smooth finish ready for applying a finish,
• Wipe all your bamboo flooring with a damp cloth to remove any dust particles,
• Apply Bamboo Floor finish of your choice & color such as polyurethane lacquer or Wax/Oil-based finish.

If the water however has caused the pores to deform/open up there is no way to refinish them without running them through a jointer to take the whole top layer down a fraction of an inch.

When to Replace Instead of Refinishing

Generally, if you only have stains – It’s cheaper to re-finish to flooring.

If some of your Bamboo floorboards are Cupped/Twisted there’s no easy way to refinish them.

If you still know the exact manufacturer of your bamboo flooring and where you purchased it you can easily purchase replacement boards and simply replace them with new ones without having to replace all your bamboo flooring!

Replacing Water Damaged Bamboo Flooring

For Floating-floors that haven’t been nailed or glued down: Generally, these will be engineered board bamboo floors with locking mechanisms making it easy to replace them.

• Remove the wet baseboards from walls,
• Dismantle the flooring till you reach the damaged area,
• Remove the water damaged bamboo flooring pieces
• Replace with new bamboo replacement boards
• Re-install the old flooring that you just took up & reinstall the baseboards

For Glued down or Nailed down Bamboo floors: Generally you will damage A LOT of the bamboo boards as you take them up, often this will end up with needing the whole floor replaced if not done correctly/carefully.

Considering the time savings and damage you will cause, it often is cheaper to install completely new bamboo.

• Remove the Baseboards from walls,
• For nailed down bamboo, use a pry bar to lift up the first bamboo boards, as you lift it up the flooring will become loose, use pliers /small hammer to remove the old hidden nails, try wiggling adjacent bamboo boards to help loosen them up & get access to nails.
• For Glued down bamboo, use a pry bar to break out the first piece so you have enough access to slide a metal piece used for flooring removal under the floor, than with a help of a hammer/metal shim take up the flooring till you reach the damaged area
• Sort through the pieces you have damaged by taking out the old floor and set them aside
• Use Scraper to remove the old adhesive from good bamboo boards (this will be very hard)
• Remove the old adhesive from the subfloor
• Reinstall the bamboo flooring back with either new Flooring adhesive or by hidden nails (Depending on how it was done)
• Reinstall back Baseboards

 

 

Fixing Warped/Cupped Bamboo Flooring

If your bamboo flooring is Cupped/Twisted due to water damage and you want to re-use the affected pieces, There is no other way than to remove ALL of the bamboo boards and run them through a Jointer Machine which will effectively take off the cupping/plan down a layer of the board.

It’s important to do it for all of the boards and make them the same height, otherwise, when you install the bamboo flooring back it will be un-even and not of the same height.

This, however, is an incredibly time-consuming process + You need the special Jointer Machine to do that, most of the time it’s much cheaper/easier/faster to just buy new bamboo flooring replacement boards.

 

How to Waterproof Bamboo Flooring & Prevent Water Damage in Future.

As they say, prevention is the best cure, when installing the bamboo flooring make sure all of the gaps properly fit together.

If using bamboo flooring that hasn’t been finished with a finish (lacquer/oil) make sure to properly fill in all the gaps when sealing/finishing the flooring -the floor will become almost waterproof for a very long time if sealed properly!

Getting an unfinished bamboo instead of a finished one and finishing it yourself once laid will give you a very large edge when it comes to its waterproofing abilities!

 

Water Leaks Under Bamboo Flooring – What to do?

If you have a water Leak under your Bamboo flooring it’s extremely important to properly dry it out otherwise the Moisture under your floors can cause an ideal place for mold to grow.

Not only that, but the bamboo flooring can soak up the moisture and deform (cupping & twisting).

If you suspect the leak under the flooring is a minor one: Use the previously mentioned methods such as Fans/Dehumidifiers/Open windows to speed up the drying process.

For Large Leaks/flood under bamboo flooring: If the bamboo flooring is a floating one, it is advisable to take up the whole floor up and dry under it properly.

If you contact a Water Removal Specialist they have the equipment to dry out the floors without even having to take them up.

Again, remember the importance of making sure that no moisture is left under your bamboo flooring, this can cause serious mold issues and even structural issues in the future depending on your house.

When to Call a Professional?

To Sum it up, if the spill on your bamboo flooring is small enough you can dry out the floor with no real lasting water damage to it if you do it fast enough! Even if you need to replace a few boards & you have a floating floor – it’s a job a serious DIY’er can do himself. Just remember the importance of properly Drying out the Bamboo and Under it!

If you have a Flood Situation / Busted pipe situation with a lot of water to remove or the water has got under your bamboo it is advisable to contact a Professional Water Damage Restoration Company as soon as possible.

They have the equipment and skill to properly remove & Dry out all of the water so that it will cause as little damage as possible. They can also replace the bamboo flooring or parts of it if needed.