Discovering damage to your beautiful wooden floors after an unexpected leak or other incident can be incredibly stressful. Beyond the immediate mess, the thought of expensive floor repairs might leave you feeling overwhelmed. However, if you have home insurance, there's a good chance your policy could cover the cost of your wooden floors restoration.
Here's a friendly guide to navigating the process of getting your wood floors restored under an insurance claim.
Step 1: Check Your Insurance Coverage
The very first thing you should do after any incident involving your wooden floors is to contact your insurance provider. Explain the situation in detail and verify if your policy provides coverage for wooden floor damage caused by leaks, floods, or other specific incidents. Understanding your policy's terms and conditions is crucial from the outset.
Step 2: Understand the Nature of Damage
It's important to know that wooden floors can take time to deform after a leak. While some changes might be immediately visible, the full extent of warping, cupping, or buckling might not become apparent for up to four weeks as the wood slowly absorbs moisture. Be patient and observe your floors over this period.
Step 3: Act Fast: Dehumidifiers are Your Friend
After a leak, immediate action can significantly mitigate damage. Getting a dehumidifier into the affected area always helps. This will draw moisture out of the air and, consequently, out of your floors, slowing down and potentially reducing the extent of deformation.
Crucially, do NOT increase your heating in an attempt to dry out the floors faster. Rapid changes in temperature and humidity can put immense stress on wooden floors, potentially causing them to crack, split, or deform even more severely. Slow and steady drying with a dehumidifier is the safest approach.
Step 4: Call in a Professional Flooring Surveyor
Once the immediate threat of water is managed and you've given the floors some time to show their full reaction, it's time to invite a qualified flooring surveyor to assess the damage. Their expertise is invaluable.
The surveyor will:
Assess if the damage is repairable by restoration (sanding and refinishing) or if replacement is necessary.
Take initial moisture readings of your wooden floors. This is a critical baseline! These readings will be used for comparison in future visits to ensure the wood has dried sufficiently before any restoration work begins.
Need Help with Insurance Claim?
If you need help with repairing your wooden floors after water leak or accidental damage, speak to member of staff for floor advice, guidance for your insurance claim or to book a site visit for assessment of your floors.
Step 5: Gather Quotes for the Insurance Company
Your insurance company will require documentation to process your claim. Typically, you will need to submit at least two detailed quotes for the restoration work from different reputable flooring contractors. Make sure these quotes clearly itemize the work to be done, including any necessary wood floor repairs, sanding, and finishing.
Step 6: Clarify Responsible Payment Party with Your Insurer
This is a very important step to avoid confusion later. Request clarification from your insurance company on how they intend to pay out the claim. Will they be paying the funds directly to you, the policyholder, or will they pay your chosen service provider directly?
Please note: The person or business on the service booking with the flooring contractor will ultimately be responsible for the payment upon completion of the works. If your insurance company pays you, ensure you have the funds ready to pay your contractor. If they pay the contractor directly, confirm that arrangement in writing with both your insurer and the contractor.
Step 7: Final Moisture Check Before the Restoration Works
Before your chosen flooring contractor starts any sanding or refinishing work, it is absolutely essential that they check the moisture levels in the flooring again. The wood must have returned to an acceptable moisture content (typically consistent with the environment it's in) before any sealants or finishes are applied. Starting work on still-damp wood will lead to bubbling, peeling, or other defects in the finish, undermining the entire restoration.
By following these steps, you can navigate the process of restoring your wooden floors under insurance works with greater confidence, ensuring a smooth process and beautiful, lasting results.
