What Happens To Wood When It Is Water Damaged?

Most of the furniture won’t be ruined if some water gets on it for a few minutes. Although, if your furniture gets damp and stays wet for a long time, it can be harmful and can cause damage to the wood. To prevent damage, it is in your best interest to prevent moisture from coming into contact with the furniture.

Damp wood is not a good thing in any household. It can not only damage your furniture, floor, and other surfaces but can also become a breeding ground for infestation of mold and other fungi, as well as stuff like termites. Needless to say, all of these lead to health hazards.

But what happens when the wood gets wet? Just know that when the moisture content of the wood reaches 20%, the wood will start to rot. But the rotting of wood is a slow process where the growth of fungi will start to feed on the cellulose of wood.

There are high chances of bad things happening when the wood is wet. But it is not an immediate process, so usually, you have time on your hands before there is any permanent damage.

You need to set up a dehumidifier in the center of the room when all the standing water is removed to remove the moisture from the wood. Set it to the highest extraction setting that is possible. Now you need to turn it on and leave it running for the next 24 hours so that it can pull out all the moisture from the boards.

Most types of wood take time to dry. It depends largely on their thickness. The drying of wood also depends on factors like how long the water remained on the surface, location, and what kind of weather it is. On average, it takes about two days of windy and warm weather to dry out a properly built stack.

How to prevent wood rot?

You need to protect the wood from staying damp and wet all the time to prevent it from rotting. But how can you treat the situation once the damage is done? Let’s see all the ways to prevent the wood from rotting.

1. Start removing the surface water. Use a vacuum on the wooden surface to clear as much moisture as possible.
2. Start scrubbing the surface.
3. Treat the areas with molds.
4. Dry the floors thoroughly.
5. Make sure to deal with the mold on the wood under the paint.
6. Replace the laminate.

If you have any water water damage give us call at Zona Restoration!