Wood Flooring Problems In Bathrooms
Most people like wood because it gives them a wonderful
and natural feeling. I believe this natural feeling comes from our
overwhelming urge to be a part of nature. Wood furniture and other
household items that are made from wood, seem to create a relaxing
environment in our homes.
Why wouldn't it be natural for us to use this material for our floors?
Wood floors seem to be durable and hold up pretty good over long periods
of time. They do seem to suffer from scratches and stains though. Wood
floors can often be sanded and refinished to bring the flooring back to
its original condition.
One of the biggest problems I have noticed over the years, is the use of
wood floors in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry areas and entryways. These
areas often suffer from moisture over time. When a wood floor gets wet,
it will expand and then when it dries, it will contract or shrink.
Over time this expanding and contracting will start to loosen the wood
flooring. If the wood flooring has no place to expand, it will often
buckle. I don't know what is worse, a wood floor that you can't walk on
because it is warped and buckled, or a wood floor with a lot of gaps and
cracks in it.
Bathrooms are probably the worst place, for a wood floor. Getting out of
the bath tub or shower could be hazardous to the flooring. If you dry
yourself off completely in the shower, before stepping onto the floor,
this would definitely help the life of the wood flooring. This does not
include the moisture in the air from the warm shower that will
eventually, work its way into the flooring.
A good example of this would be, heavy bathroom use, or in other words,
quite a few people using the same bathroom. This would put larger
amounts of moisture into the flooring and walls eventually leading to
water damage, mold and wood rot. In some cases the moisture will
actually sit and saturate the wood flooring, because it has no place to
go. This will ruin the wood floor sooner.
Moisture and wood don't seem to mix very well, since its used in nature
for the decomposition of wood and is part of the cleaning process.
If you use wood flooring in some of these wet areas, keep the flooring
as dry as possible, keep your eye out for any water leaks and be careful
when stepping out the shower or bath tub. Try to keep the floor moisture
free for as long as possible.