Forum
« Tile shops in Brooklyn updating on my friend's restoration »
August 5, 2008
Warped parquet flooring
One of my air conditioners decided to start dripping water onto the parquet floor under the window last night and by the time I discovered the drip, several of the parquet boards had warped. As this had just happened and the boards were still wet, I piled every heavy object I could find on top of the boards that were not too warped and was able to flatten 75% of them back into place... Leaving one parquet strip and one floor board out of place. Can anyone give me a recommendation for a floor person that would be skilled enough to fix this? Also, I have another patch where the parquet has deteriorated... does anyone know where to get replacement pieces? The floor is original to an early 20th century brownstone so it is a very thin ~1/8 inch variety.
Comments
Verrazano Flooring is the best for repair work.
http://www.verrazanoflooring.com
Posted by: SenatorStreet at August 5, 2008 1:03 PM
You need to let the boards dry - that is what is causing the warping. (You also need to make sure that the AC stops dripping on the boards). Finding the right antique parquets is a challenge, but look on craigs list, and ask here. I have heard of Verazanno and they probably do good repair but the thinness of the parquets is the issue. You will have to find something similiar since the stuff you buy today is twice as thick.
Posted by: donatella at August 5, 2008 2:05 PM
Verrazano Flooring would be the best bet for the job. I used them to repair and refinish my parquet floors and they did an excellent job.
Posted by: Chosen at August 5, 2008 3:31 PM
The reason it's so thin is because it's been sanded down over the last 100 years. If you want replacement pieces that fit, they'll need to be planed or sanded down to the desired thickness.
Posted by: Frederick Law Homestead at August 5, 2008 3:32 PM
I'd echo Donatella, rather than freaking out yet wait a coupla weeks. Often it will settle back down when it dries.
Posted by: denton at August 5, 2008 3:38 PM
They are "so thin" because they are 5/16" not the 3/4" stock that is so commpnly installed these days. They don't need to be plained or sanded to thickness. 5/16" oak flooring is actually quite easy to find new.
Blending it with existing floors takes some time and practice to stain the new to match the old, aged wood.
As for old boards - check to see if you have any that can be used on the floor of a closet.
Posted by: SenatorStreet at August 5, 2008 3:47 PM
Thanks for the suggestions... I had this happen before when the waste pipe to a butler's sink leaked and it was easily repaired by a floor crew my gc brought in while we did some touch up maintenance. I would go with them again, but while they did a great job on the repair, they did a poor job refinishing my modern kitchen floor and a very poor job of replacing a few boards in the dining room as per my original post... I let them install two larger thickness boards on the threshold between the dining room and kitchen, but would not let them do the same for a damaged board more toward the center of the dining room floor where it would look so completely out of place as to be risible due to the thickness issue and the fact that the color and grain were not properly matched.
For now, my plan is to air the room out and keep the heavy objects in place for a few weeks slowly moving them onto the warped portion in the hope that this will squeeze them back into shape. Has anyone tried this? I'm also thinking about getting a steam iron or some other steam shooting device and seeing if I can heat them up and coax them back into place like a wooden ship builder. Has anyone tried this?
Posted by: SJ at August 5, 2008 4:01 PM
Most in-window AC units need to be on a decline towards the outside of the house so water that condenses due to the cooling air can run off and drip on some passerby's head. The decline can be very small.
Posted by: dittoburg at August 5, 2008 4:07 PM
SJ, you don't want to do that iron thing. Steam is water, it will just make the boards expand. Steam is used to bend wood. Let the floors get dry, don't add more water!
Posted by: denton at August 5, 2008 6:17 PM
SJ, you don't want to do that iron thing. Steam is water, it will just make the boards expand. Steam is used to bend wood. Let the floors get dry, don't add more water!
Posted by: denton at August 5, 2008 6:19 PM
hi. i have a similar problem. my contractor had advised that i try ironing the section that is warped. his rationale is that this will remove the moisture thereafter the wood may return to its original state.
has anyone tried this? hi sj, did you managed to fix your problem? would really appreciate any advice on this one.
Posted by: a_patche at November 1, 2008 11:23 AM
Post a comment
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.