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emerino_gw

Wood floor turning black

emerino
9 years ago

Hi. We had engineered wood flooring installed in November. There was one board that was very dark, almost burnt looking. I thought it was just the nature of that board. Fast forward almost a year and now the board is darker and the few boards around it are, too. Yesterday I noticed a couple of blister type bubbles in the finish.

Does this mean there is a water leak? Could it be mold that was present before the floor was installed (we had a water leak, but it was remediated)?

Should I contact the contractor that did the work or the company that did the water remediation?

ETA: Is it possible that the one board had mold in it when it was installed and it is spreading?

Thanks in advance for any help!

This post was edited by emerino on Tue, Sep 23, 14 at 13:26

Comments (9)

  • glennsfc
    9 years ago

    Difficult to say with certainty, but it sure does look like this is due to moisture getting into the flooring. A quick reading using a dual-depth moisture meter would tell you for sure whether or not this is due to the presence of excessive moisture. Also, the blister-type finish blisters you describe would also point towards moisture as being the cause of the darkening.

  • emerino
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you. I'll see about testing for moisture. The mystery to me is that one board was black when installed. Coincidence? Or mold already in the board that spread? Hmmmm

  • glennsfc
    9 years ago

    Does look like what you would see as darkening from pet urine.

  • emerino
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I have kids and a dog that is outside. I have a strong nose, especially when it comes to urine. I would have noticed it :)

    The kitchen is on the other side of that wall. There is no sign of water damage on the wall or in the kitchen cabinet.

    The dark area has gradually gotten bigger and darker. So gradual that I didn't realize it until I saw the bubble and then looked at the picture from when it was first installed.

  • emerino
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here's a close up pic. You can see the bubble on the top dark board.

  • glennsfc
    9 years ago

    Do that test for moisture. If it's way higher in the darkening area than other spots in the room, then moisture is the cause.

  • glennsfc
    9 years ago

    Do that test for moisture. If it's way higher in the darkening area, than at other spots in the room, then moisture is the cause.

  • emerino
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'll do that. Thank you.