Today’s flooring has been replaced with an all-new beautiful vinyl plank flooring. The vinyl plank flooring not only offers beauty but is also scratch-resistant, maintaining its charming beauty years after its purchase. The vinyl floor is water-resistant; hence no need for worry if spillage occurs in your house.
However, the resistance is eliminated by subfloor pipes which may have leakages to damage. This moisture is sneaky and may affect your floor, creating unforeseen complications. I’ll take you through how to identify water underneath your vinyl floor and how to dry it.
Contents
Signs of Moisture under Vinyl Plank Flooring
If you ever notice vinyl floor buckling up, this is due to moisture, making the boards lift several inches. Cupped edges are also an assign of water underneath a vinyl floor. Cupped edges is the situation when edges are raised higher than the center.
Crowning edges, quite the opposite of cupped edges, are also a sign of moisture disturbance.
Bubbles formation in the middle of a vinyl floor and discoloration of the vinyl boards are also signs of moisture in your foundation.
Deteriorating adhesives is another sign of water, mostly noticed if you see planks moving that didn’t previously move. If left unchecked, moisture underneath the floor leads up, causing a chain that might be expensive when it goes for long.
Do Water Damage Your Vinyl plank Flooring
As I stated earlier, the vinyl floor is water-resistant, but underneath, moisture can lead to mold growth, deteriorate it, soften the bottom, and destroy it. Therefore it leads to extra floor replacement costs; since the vinyl floor is not curable but must be replaced as a whole unit if damaged.
How to Dry Water under Vinyl Plank Flooring
I am going to explain to you how to remove moisture from underneath your vinyl plank flooring. If the water damage is severe, you’ll need to remove the entire vinyl floor to dry out the subfloor. Click lock vinyl boards are easy to remove but glued down boards need precision to avoid damaging the floor while trying to save it. The use of a floor scraper is advised while attempting to remove the glued-down vinyl floor. You can also utilize the skills of an expert if it’s too difficult to do it by yourself.
Experts are also required if the vinyl predates 1970 since it may contain asbestos, leading to health hazards such as lung cancer or permanent lung damage. After removing the vinyl floor, you can use a mop and a bucket to remove water. After removing all the water, you can withdraw using a mop, and you can turn on the fans, which will wipe out the remaining moisture. You can also open windows to facilitate the easy escape of water. You can also run dehumidifiers in the room to help expel the excess moisture.
Moisture and How to Get it out of Vinyl Floors
Once the floor seems dry enough, you can run a moisture meter to measure the humidity levels in the room. If you are satisfied that the floor is dry enough, you can reinstall the vinyl floorboards back in their place. Click lock vinyl board can be easily replaced by all yourself. But if they were glued down, it is highly advisable to call in pros to reinstate the vinyl floor back in place for you. If your vinyl is a floating floor, you may be able to remove a portion of the planks and use a Shop-Vac to blow air under the table to dry out the subfloor. A shop vac is a device that pulls up wet and dry messes.
It comes in a range of capabilities up to 2.5 gallons. It can work as a water extractor, but it needs cautiousness when operating to avoid exceeding its capacity. If you didn’t have a massive water catastrophe but do have a moisture meter, you can turn on the heater and fans in the room for a couple of days, and your floor will be adequately dry. If the room affected is a basement, it is recommended to use a dehumidifier because sometimes it is damper than the other house parts. I recommend the use of a medium-sized dehumidifier, especially one manufactured by home labs. It is perfect for use in medium to large rooms that are generally damp, making it ideal for use in a basement.
This type of dehumidifier will extract twenty-two pints of air moisture per day has the extra perk of a sleek modern look. You shouldn’t worry if you have other things to do and forget about it since it is designed to shut itself automatically if the tank is full. It also has the benefit of working quietly and hence no disturbances.
If you do not have a moisture meter, you can use clear plastic tape to determine if a concrete subfloor is dry enough to reinstall vinyl floorboards. Tape it on the floor, leave it for 24 hours and pull it off. If the underside hasn’t been tried yet, the floor is still wet. You can also dig small trenches to drain the water away if you see water draining in the room or basement.
Final Words
A vinyl floor is delicate when exposed to much water might soon lose its expensive taste if it gets destroyed. One must ensure to fix underneath pipes to avoid bringing along unwanted moisture.
If you’ve had a moisture problem, it is always advisable to check for mold. You can also prevent future moisture problems during the construction phase of a concrete floor by allowing the slab to cure and dry before installing vinyl board flooring.
It would be best if you also used to ensure proper water displacement by installing draining water lines and water pumps. You can also take extra prevention measures to seal moisture by installing an underlayment between the subfloor and the vinyl floor. While most vinyl boards come with a pre-fitted underlayment foam beneath them, it is always advisable to add an extra moisture protection layer.