Floors will never last forever. Even if you invested in expensive hardwood or luxury vinyl flooring, they’re bound to show wear and tear eventually. This holds true even if you perform routine maintenance. You may be able to delay damage and prolong your flooring’s life, but eventually, it will deteriorate.
All of this shouldn’t come as a surprise because your floor bears a lot of weight. You can still opt for repairs to deal with issues like stains or cracks. However, if the damage becomes excessive, you have no choice but to replace the flooring. Here are seven significant signs that your floor has extreme damage, and it’s time to invest in a replacement.
Noticeable Surface Damage
Wear and tear are expected, especially if you have kids and pets. For instance, if you have light-coloured flooring, you can expect the occasional stain or scratch. However, deeper cracks and stubborn stains that refuse to go away with deep cleaning are red flags. Deep scratches make your flooring predisposed to water damage and even pest infestations. With a crack, termites can readily infiltrate your floorboards.
Stains are also more than a simple eyesore. There could be underlying issues hidden from the eyes. Equally problematic and in need of attention is peeling laminate. You can opt for sectional repairs, but if you want the areas to match, you may need to replace all the flooring.
Presence of Water Damage
Water damage in your flooring is unacceptable because it can also damage the subfloors. Leaving this kind of damage unattended can cause even more significant problems as water will continue to cause deterioration.
You must nip water damage in the bud to prevent escalation. You may need to have your plumbing or even roofing assessed for leaks. This kind of damage could lead to cupping in the floor, leading the edges to appear higher than the center. When you step on the floors with significant water damage, they can feel mushy and soft. Remember that moisture is attractive to mould, mildew, fungi, and germs. If you’ve got water damage, don’t ignore it. Call the pros for advice.
The Floor is Excessively Noisy
When you have a noisy floorboard, it could mean many things. It could be a simple problem such as a loose nail needing a good fix. However, if there are multiple creaking floorboards, especially in an older home, this could be a sign of a bigger problem.
However, this harsh sound could be an indicator that there is subfloor damage, such as rotting materials. Sometimes this happens when the foundation settles, or there’s movement in the earth like with an earthquake. Improper installation could also equate to a creaky board. For best results, call a professional flooring service to ensure the issue doesn’t become even more widespread and complex to fix.
Overly Sanded Flooring
If you have hardwood floors, one crucial factor to maintain their beauty is refinishing the surface. Typically, hardwood flooring can last for at least a decade with proper care. Even old hardwood can look good as new when you sand the floors. However, there is such a thing as refinishing the surface too many times.
When your floors have been sanded too many times to count, this results in the material thinning. Although refinished floors look pretty, they are more susceptible to structural damage, scratches, and cracks. If your flooring has undergone several refinishing processes, it could be time for a replacement.
Presence of Discoloration or Stains
Flooring like hybrid, vinyl, hardwood, and even carpet can discolour and stain. Usually, you can keep the surface spotless with a quick clean. Addressing messes as they occur means keeping floors fresh. The longer you wait to deal with a spill, deeper the stain will get into the material, resulting in discolouration.
Some issues need to be addressed because they could harm health. For example, mildew and mould stains can result in respiratory problems. Worse, the spores will multiply and spread. If you’ve tried to clean everything, but stains keep coming back, consider flooring replacement.
Foul Odour
If you have children and pets, it’s common for accidents to happen. Sometimes, it’s more than just spilt food or drinks but rather bodily excrement. When this happens, it can result in a putrid smell that could permeate your home.
Unfortunately, once this unpleasant odour permeates the subfloors, it becomes very difficult to remove. Lighting up a candle or spraying air fresheners will not solve the problem. It may not even mask the foul scent. If deep cleaning no longer works to remove the smell, germs have likely spread through the subfloor, and the only solution is replacing the floor.
Looks Dated and Out of Style
If you live in an older home, you may end up with flooring that are no longer in style. Although outdated flooring is not a pressing problem compared to water damage or mildew, it is still an issue, especially when the style clashes with your existing theme.
Your home should make you happy, so if your flooring is giving you a headache, consider a floor renovation project. There are many new styles out there that won’t break the bank. Talk to a trustworthy flooring company to find materials that work best for your home.
Call our team of flooring specialists for assistance and we’d be happy to help you explore your flooring options. Check out https://www.prolinefloors.com.au/ for more.
Check out this article for some additional ideas!
7 Signs Your Existing Flooring Needs To Be Replaced
Flooring does not last forever no matter how much we aim to maintain it. Foundations of all sorts see various amounts of foot traffic depending on their location and frequency of use. As such, most flooring can start to show signs of wear and tear like scratches and stains over time.
If you are not sure if the flooring in or outside your home needs to be replaced, we invite you to review these common signs.
- There are soft spots. When you walk across the floor, if you notice soft spots, this indicates the flooring and/or subflooring is rotting and needs to be replaced.
- There are cracks in the flooring. Cracks develop when the flooring starts to dry out. These can also develop as tiles weaken with age. Whether you have wood, laminate, vinyl, ceramic, or some other type of flooring; you’ll likely want to replace it.
- The wood or laminate flooring has a whiteness to it. If you fail to use the right cleaning products on wood and laminate flooring, it will develop an unsightly whiteness that cannot be removed. The only way to resolve this issue is by replacing the flooring.
Here https://www.designerdeck.com/news/signs-your-existing-flooring-needs-to-be-replaced/
Source: https://luxury-flooring.blogspot.com/2022/11/7-major-signs-you-need-to-replace.html
Fraser Rogers 