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ACOUSTICAL SEALANT CHOICES
AGE of a BUILDING - how to determine
AGE of PLUMBING MATERIALS & FIXTURES
AGE of CHIMNEYS & FIREPLACES
AGE of AIR CONDITIONERS & HEAT PUMPS
AGE of FOUNDATION MATERIALS
AGE of FRAMING MATERIALS
AGE of FLOORING MATERIALS
AGE of ELECTRICAL WIRING
AGE of HEATERS, BOILERS, FURNACES
AGE of WATER HEATERS
ACOUSTICAL SEALANT CHOICES
AIR BYPASS LEAKS
AIR LEAK DETECTION TOOLS
AIR LEAK MINIMIZATION
AIR LEAK SEALING PROCEDURE
AIR POLLUTANTS, COMMON INDOOR
AIR TEST FOR MOLD: ACCURACY
AIR TEST SAMPLING CASSETTE STUDY
ALLERGEN TESTS for buildings
ALLERGENS in BUILDINGS, RECOGNIZING
ALLERGY & MOLD IAQ PRODUCTS
ALLERGY TESTS for PEOPLE
ALLERGY TEST ACCURACY
ANIMAL ALLERGENS / PET DANDER
ANIMAL ENTRY POINTS in buildings
ANIMAL ODORS IN buildings
APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS
ARCHITECTURE & BUILDING COMPONENT ID
ASBESTOS CEILING TILES, Asbestos-Containing
ASBESTOS DUCTS, HVAC
ASBESTOS FLOORING HAZARD REDUCTION
ASBESTOS-FREE INSULATION MATERIALS
ASBESTOS IDENTIFICATION IN buildings
ASBESTOS LIST of PRODUCTS
ASBESTOS PHOTO GUIDE to Materials
ASBESTOS REMOVAL, Wetting Guidelines
ATTIC LEAKS, CONDENSATION & MOLD
ATTIC VENTILATION

BASEMENT CEILING VAPOR BARRIER
BASEMENT HEAT LOSS
BASEMENT LEAKS, INSPECT FOR
BASEMENT WATERPROOFING
BATH & KITCHEN DESIGN GUIDE
BATHROOM VENTILATION
BEST CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES GUIDE
Best Interior Finish Practices
BLOWER DOORS & AIR INFILTRATION
BLOWER FAN CONTINUOUS OPERATION
BLOWER FAN OPERATION & TESTING
BLOWN-IN INSULATION
BOOKSTORE - INTERIORS

BRICK LINED WALLS
BRICK VENEER WALL AIR LEAKS
BRICK VENEER WALL Loose, Bulged
BRICK WALL DRAINAGE WEEP HOLES

BUCKLED FOUNDATIONS due to INSULATION?
BUILDING NOISE DIAGNOSIS & CURE
BUILDING SAFETY HAZARDS GUIDE
BUILDING SETTLEMENT

CACTUS FUNGI / MOLD
CAR MOLD CONTAMINATION
CARPENTER ANTS
CARPENTER BEES
CARPET DUST IDENTIFICATION
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CABINETS & COUNTERTOPS
CARPETING & INDOOR AIR QUALITY
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CARPETS & PADDING ODORS IN buildings
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CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR
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COMBUSTION AIR for TIGHT buildings
CONDENSATION or SWEATING PIPES, TANKS
COOLING LOAD REDUCTION by ROOF VENTS
CRAWL SPACES

DECK & PORCH CONSTRUCTION
DEW POINT CALCULATION for WALLS
DEW POINT TABLE - CONDENSATION POINT GUIDE
DIRECTORY of MOLD / ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERTS
DIRT FLOOR MOLD CONTAMINATION
Disinfectants
Disinfecting Buildings with Bleach
DOORS, INTERIOR
DRYER VENTING
DRYWALL HAZARDS, CHINESE
DRYWALL INSTALLATION Best Practices
DRYWALL MOLD
DRYWALL MOLD RESISTANT

EFFLORESCENCE, Salts & White / Brown Deposits
ELDERLY & VETERANS HOME SAFETY
ENGINEERED WOOD Flooring

FIBERGLASS INSULATION
FIBERGLASS HAZARDS
FIBERGLASS INSULATION MOLD
FLAT ROOF MOISTURE & CONDENSATION
FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP
FLOOD DAMAGED FOUNDATIONS
FLOOD VENTS & FLOOD PORTS
FLOODS IN buildings-mold

FLOOR TYPES & DEFECTS
  FLOOR, CERAMIC TILE
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  FLOOR, CONCRETE SLAB POURED FINISH
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  FLOOR, WOOD ENGINEERED, LAMINATE, INSTALL
  FLOOR, WOOD FINISHES
  FLOOR, WOOD INSTALLATION GUIDE
  FLOOR, WOOD MOISTURE
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FORMALDEHYDE HAZARDS
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FOUNDATION WATERPROOFING
FRENCH DRAINS
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FRAMING DETAILS for BETTER INSULATION
FREEZE-PROOF A BUILDING
FROST HEAVES, FOUNDATION, SLAB
FUNGICIDAL SPRAY & SEALANT USE GUIDE

GAS DETECTION INSTRUMENTS
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GAS EXPOSURE LIMITS & STANDARDS
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HEAT LOSS in BUILDINGS
HEAT LOSS DETECTION TOOLS
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HEAT LOSS PREVENTION PRIORITIES
HEAT LOSS R U & K VALUE CALCULATION
HEAT TAPES & CABLES on Roofs for Ice Dams
HEATING COST SAVINGS METHODS

HOT ROOF DESIGNS: Un-Vented Roof Solutions
HOUSEWRAP AIR & VAPOR BARRIERS
HOUSE DOCTOR, how-to be
HUMIDITY LEVEL TARGET

ICE DAM PREVENTION
INDOOR AIR QUALITY & HOUSE TIGHTNESS
INDOOR AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT GUIDE
INDOOR HOUSE DUST & DEBRIS
INSECT INFESTATION / DAMAGE
INSULATION CHOICES
Insulation Air & Heat Leaks
INSULATION FACT SHEET- DOE
INSULATION for GREENHOUSE or SOLARIUM
INSULATION IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
INSULATION INSPECTION & IMPROVEMENT
INSULATION LOCATION - WHERE TO PUT IT
INSULATION LOCATION for BRICK VENEER WALLS
INSULATION LOCATION for CAPES, CRAWLSPACES
INSULATION LOCATION for CATHEDRAL CEILINGS
INSULATION LOCATION for GREENHOUSE or SOLARIUM
INSULATION MOLD
INSULATION R-Values & Properties

KIT HOMES, Aladdin, Sears, Wards, Others
KITCHEN & BATH DESIGN GUIDE

LIGHTING, EXTERIOR GUIDE
LIGHTING, INTERIOR GUIDE
LOG HOME GUIDE

METAL LATH, PLASTER & STUCCO
MOBILE HOME INSPECTIONS
MOISTURE CONTROL in BUILDINGS
MOLD: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO MOLD
MOLD ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO ABOUT MOLD
MOLD APPEARANCE - WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE
MOLD CLEANERS - WHAT TO USE
MOLD CLEANUP GUIDE- HOW TO GET RID OF MOLD
MOLD CLEARANCE INSPECTIONS
MOLD COUNT NUMBER GUIDE
MOLD CONSULTANTS / INSPECTORS
MOLD CULTURE TEST KIT VALIDITY
MOLD DETECTION & INSPECTION GUIDE
MOLD or INDOOR AIR EMERGENCY RESPONSE
MOLD EXPERT, WHEN TO HIRE
MOLD FAQ's
MOLD LEVEL IN AIR, VALIDITY
MOLD ODORS, MUSTY SMELLS
MOLD PREVENTION GUIDE
MOLD RELATED ILLNESS GUIDE
MOLD SAFETY WARNINGS
MOLD SPRAYS, SEALANTS, PAINTS
MOLD STANDARDS
MOLD TEST KITS
MOLD TESTING METHOD VALIDITY

Nanomaterials Hazards
NOISE / SOUND DIAGNOSIS & CURE
NOISE, AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR
NOISE, DUCT VIBRATION DAMPENERS
NOISE CONTROL for HEATING SYSTEMS
NOISE CONTROL for FLOORS
NOISE CONTROL for PLUMBING
NOISE CONTROL for ROOFS
NOISES COMING FROM WATER HEATER

ODORS & SMELLS DIAGNOSIS & CURE

PAINT FALURE, DIAGNOSIS, CURE, PREVENTION
PASCAL CALCULATIONS
PLASTER & BEAVERBOARD & DRYWALL
PLASTER BULGES & PILLOWS
PLASTER LATH, METAL
PLASTER, LOOSE FALL HAZARDS
PLASTER TYPE IDENTIFICATION
PLASTER VENEER Best Practices

RADIANT BARRIERS
RADIANT HEAT
RADIANT HEAT Floor Mistakes to Avoid
RADIANT HEAT TEMPERATURES
RADIANT SLAB FLOORING CHOICES
RADIANT SLAB TUBING & FLUID CHOICES
ROOF VENTILATION SPECIFICATIONS
ROT RESISTANT LUMBER
ROT, TIMBER FRAME
ROT, TIMBER ASSESSMENT

SAFETY HAZARDS & INSPECTIONS
SAFETY: Elderly & Veterans Home Safety
SAFETY for ELECTRICAL INSPECTORS
SEARS KIT HOUSES
SINKHOLES, WARNING SIGNS
SINKING BUILDINGS
SLAB CRACK EVALUATION
SOUND CONTROL in buildings
Splits in Structural Wood Beams
STAIN & BIODETERIORATION AGENT CATALOG
STAINS on & in BUILDINGS, CAUSES & CURES
STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING EXTERIORS
STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING INTERIORS
STAIN DIAGNOSIS on ROOFS
STAIN DIAGNOSIS on STONE
STAINS & FINISHES, INTERIOR
STAINS on INDOOR SURFACES: PHOTO GUIDE

STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDINGS, RAMPS
STONE CLEANING METHODS
STONE VENEER WALLS
STRAW BALE CONSTRUCTION
STUCCO WAll FAILURES DUE TO WEATHER
STUCCO WALL METHODS & INSTALLATION
STUCCO OVER FOAM INSULATION
STUCCO PAINT FAILURES
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE PROBING
STRUCTURAL WOOD ASSESSMENT
SUMP PUMPS GUIDE
SWEATING (CONDENSATION) on PIPES, TANKS

TERMITES
TEST KITS for DUST, MOLD, PARTICLE TESTS
Thermal Expansion Cracking of Brick
THERMAL EXPANSION of HOT WATER
THERMAL EXPANSION of MATERIALS
THERMAL IMAGING, THERMOGRAPHY
THERMAL IMAGING MOLD SCANS
THERMAL MASS in BUILDINGS
THERMAL TRACKING Indicates Heat Loss
TILE INSTALLATION DETAILS
TRIM, INTERIOR INSTALLATION
TRAPPED MOLD BETWEEN WOOD SURFACES
TRUSS UPLIFT, ROOF
TRUSSES, Floor & Roof

VAPOR BARRIERS & CONDENSATION in BUILDINGS
VENTILATION in BUILDINGS
VINYL CHLORIDE HEALTH INFO
VINYL SIDING
VINYL Siding or PLASTIC Window ODORS
Volatile Organic Compounds VOCs

WALL CONSTRUCTION BARRIER vs CAVITY
WATER ENTRY in buildings

WIND WASHING INSULATION At EAVES
WINDOWS & DOORS
WINTERIZE A BUILDING
WOOD Burning Heaters Fireplaces Stoves
WOOD FLOOR DAMAGE

More Information

PHOTO of interior floor covering, pre-vinyl, probably linocrusta with burlap fabric backing, Justin Morrill House, Vermont, ca 1845 - 1900 Guide to Wood Floor Types, Damage, Diagnosis, Repair
     

  • Catalog of types of damage to different wood floor materials
  • Description of repair approaches for damaged wood floors
  • Buckled wood flooring due to leaks or high moisture
  • Cupped wood floorboards, convex & concave floor cupping
  • Gaps between floor boards or parquet flooring - cause/cure
  • Rotted wood flooring;
  • Scratched wood flooring
  • Stained wood flooring including pet stains, water stains, and mold stains or mold damaged wood floors
  • Cause of Outdoor Deck Board & Stair Tread Cupping & Shelling - Bark Side Down Advice for Decks & Steps
  • Questions & Answers about the diagnosis & repair of wood floors
  • References

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InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

This article explains types of damage that occurs on various types of wood flooring in buildings. We illustrate bucklihg wood floors and comment on how they happen; we illustrate cupping of wood flooring and point out the diagnostic value of noticing which way the cup is shaped; we explain what to do about gaps between interior floor boards, and we also address deterioration and problems with outside wood decks and porche floors, and we also describe repair approaches for various wood floor damage.

Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.

A Photo Catalog of Damage to Wood Floors

Buckled wood flooring due to leaks or high moisture

Buckled wood flooring (C) Daniel Friedman

Our photo at page top shows cupped wooden strip flooring and an easy way to detect this condition..

Also see Wood Floor Types, and FLOOR TYPES & DEFECTS. If examining resilient flooring that may contain asbestos, also see FLOOR TILE HISTORY & INGREDIENTS and ASBESTOS FLOOR TILE IDENTIFICATION. If you are concerned about mold-contaminated wood flooring, see MOLD CLEANUP - WOOD FLOORING. Damage to other types of flooring is discussed at FLOOR DAMAGE DIAGNOSIS.

This 1940's wood floor buckled severely because of wet conditions in a gymnasium after the roof leaked.

But even if a building is not subjected to flooding or wet floors, if the wood floor was installed without adequate clearance around its perimeter buckling can occur when moisture increases in the building.

And as we discuss at FLOOR, WOOD MOISTURE, a successful wood floor installation requires that the wood flooring be acclimitized and at proper moisture level in the building before it is installed.

Very large wood floors (such as in this gym) may need an inch or even more of side clearance at the building walls - a detail accomplished by building out floor/wall baseboard trim if necessary, or in the case of newer products, by the combination of clearance gaps and a floating floor design.

Cupped Wood Flooring - Causes & Cures

Cupped wood flooring (C) Daniel Friedman

Compare our photo at left of concave (curved down) cupped wooden floorboards with the convex (curved up) cupped floor boards in the photo at the top of this page.

At left you can easily see the concave cupping of the floor at left by looking at our flashlight beam across boards in the upper portion of the photo. (The center of concave cupping is down and edges of concave-cupped floor boards are raised - think of "cave" as "caving in" if you want to remember this distinction.)

Diagnosing why a wooden floor has become cupped is an important step in correcting the problem, since we need to identify and correct the moisture source.

There are exceptions, but in general a board swells on its side that is most moist. So on an interior floor like the one shown at left, the fact that the center of the floorboards is cupped "down" we infer that it is the down-side of these boards that is more moist than the finish side facing the room. We find this condition in homes with finished wood flooring installed over a damp or wet basement or crawl space.

At our page top photo the finish floor boards seem to be cupped "up" - suggesting that this floor has been wet from above.

If the floor board cupping is minor and hard to see, you might decide to just address the moisture problem and leave the floor alone. It won't recover, but it the floor should not get worse. How would we repair a badly cupped wooden floor? Sanding the floor flat is an option unless the boards have not only cupped but come loose from the subfloor. In that case floor replacement may be necessary.

Cause of Outdoor Deck Board & Stair Tread Cupping & Shelling - Bark Side Down Advice for Decks & Steps

Deck board rot (C) Daniel Friedman

Indoors we find that floor boards tend to cup so that the concave side of the board is towards the floor's more dry side, and the convex side of the cupped or curved boards tend to be facing the floor's more wet side.

Apparently when a wooden board has uneven moisture content across its thickness it will tend to expand more on its more wet side, causing that side to "arch" or become convex.

You might think that outdoors where despite temporary wetting from rain, deck boards and wood step boards open to air on both sides ultimately have a uniform moisture content across the board's thickness. But because the upper board surface is exposed to sun and in some cases more wind or air movement, the under-side of boards may have a higher moisture content. In some installations, significantly higher.

For an explanation of wood board cupping and which side of deck, ramp, and exterior stair boards should face "up" see BARK SIDE UP on DECKS & STEPS.

Cupped ramp boards (or deck and platform boards) with the "cup" facing up will hold water and form algae or ice more quickly than boards that drain properly, increasing the risk of a slip, trip, or fall hazard. Upwards-cuped boards sometimes rot faster too .

Look at the end-grain of any deck, ramp, or wooden walkway board and notice the curved lines that mark the winter wood layers of the tree from which the board was cut. If these lines arch "upwards" when the board is placed, most boards will also be curved upwards (convex) and will drain better. But before nailing a deck or ramp board in place, look at the board surface itself - sometimes the boards don't follow these "cupping rules", or the bark side of the board may be badly damaged - so when building a wood structure you may have a reason to place a few walking-surface boards "upside down".


Figure 1-31: Cupping of flat sawn lumber (C) Wiley and Sons, S Bliss

(Sketch adapted from (flipped over) an original provided courtesy S. Bliss, Best Practices in Residential Construction.)

When building a deck we like to look at the end grain of the wood and install deck boards with the "bark side" up so that cupped boards won't form puddle-collecting dips on our deck.

But look at your actual individual boards or stair treads when you are building an outdoor structure. If we are installing a deck board that is already rather cupped, we install it with the convex or "outward curve" side facing up for best drainage. Also see DECK & PORCH CONSTRUCTION.

Watch out for shelling, board wear, trip hazard:

Watch out: On wooden decks and stair treads a defect "shelling" can occur with the bark side down method. Shelling is a term used by some builders to refer to the loss of portions of a board surface as llate wood growth (the outer surface of the tree and thus the "bark side" of the board) separates from early wood growth (the inner portion of the tree or the tree-center side of the board).

Shelling is reported to occur more often in lumber made from Douglas Fir and Southern Pine. When building an outdoor deck wooden stair tread, it is a good idea to avoid using boards with questionable, likely to separate, portions of their upper surface. Shelling may be less of a problem with wood trim that is to be placed vertically and kept painted or sealed. We discuss shelling further at Shelling Damage to Walking Surfaces on Wood Decks & Stairs.

Gaps Between Wood Floor Boards & in Parquet Flooring: Cause & Cure

Shiplap board joint (C) Daniel Friedman

Gaps between wood floorboards may occur for several reasons, but the common underlying cause is a moisture problem.

Installing wood flooring before it has had an opportunity to acclimate to the indoor moisture level of its new home often means that too-moist flooring was nailed in place, later shrinking as building heat further dries the wood.

The gap between the flooring shown at left is viewed from the under-side of the floor of an older building. This is a ship-lap joint whose boards have separated about 3/16".


Shiplap board joint (C) Daniel Friedman

Gaps can also appear between sections of a wood parquet floor, as shown in our photo (left).

Do not rush to fill in gaps like this in wooden floors. Particularly in the case of wideboard flooring the width of individual boards increases and decreases seasonally as building indoor moisture levels increase (typically in the summer) or decrease (typically in winter).

If you fill the gap between floor boards in the dry (wide gap) season, when the building moisture increases and boards swell the swelling floor boards will push against the gap filling material, actually crushing the edges of the floor board.

Then when the building dries out again a new gap will appear. Or in extreme cases the floor may buckle in damp weather. In either case, it's better to just vacuum out the dust and debris and leave these wideboard floor gaps alone.

At Wood Floor Types where we illustrate a restored and re-finished wide-board floor in an 1860's home, if you click and enlarge the photo you'll see that we left the flooring gaps open. In fact during restoration we sometimes have to pick out putty or other stupid crack fillers that someone has applied earlier.

Gaps and shrinkage damage to wood floors installed over radiant floor heating systems

Wood floor gaps over radiant heat (C) Daniel Friedman


A common complaint we've investigated is shrinkage gaps in wood flooring installed over radiant heat tubing.

The underlying cause may be flooring that was too moist at installation (see above), or operating the heat at a higher than recommended temperature.

In the gapped wood floor over radiant tubing shown here, the owner, attempting to eliminate a smell associated with the radiant heat tubing, ran the heating system at high temperature, perhaps contributing to this floor gap problem.

See these articles on radiant heated floors

FLOOR, WOOD RADIANT HEAT - guide to installing wood floors over radiant heat systems
RADIANT HEAT
- usage guide, strategies for using radiant heat
RADIANT HEAT TEMPERATURES
- at the boiler, in tubing, under floors, floor surface, thermostat & control settings
RADIANT SLAB FLOORING CHOICES
- wood vs ceramic tile over a radiant heated floor
RADIANT SLAB TUBING & FLUID CHOICES - tubing and fluid choices for radiant heating
RADIANT HEAT Floor Mistakes to Avoid - proper and improper radiant tubing depth in slabs & slab insulation needs - what can go very wrong when the building contractor substitutes brawn for brains
SLAB INSULATION, PASSIVE SOLAR - slab insulation & vapor barrier placement in heated floor slabs
WOOD FLOOR DAMAGE - from radiant tubing run too hot

Mold Stains or Mold Damaged Wood Floors

How to clean moldy wood flooring (C) Daniel Friedman

See MOLD CLEANUP - WOOD FLOORING where we describe removing mold from wood flooring surfaces.

Cleaning mold from wood framing, or wood building sheathing and similar wood surfaces is discussed at MOLD CLEANUP - WOOD FRAMING & PLYWOOD.

Readers should also see the general advice at MOLD CLEANUP GUIDE- HOW TO GET RID OF MOLD and finally, see Wood Floor Damage

Also see Hidden Mold in Flooring & Subflooring. Also see TRAPPED MOLD BETWEEN WOOD SURFACES for a discussion of the immobility of mold between wood framing and other surfaces, and see MOLD GROWTH on SURFACES for an index of what mold genera/species are frequently found on various building surfaces and materials.

Pet Stains on wood floors

Pet urine stains on a hardwood floor (C) Daniel Friedman

Pet urine stains on wood floors - pet stains can ruin wood flooring. Stains are deep enough into the wood that almost no amount of sanding will remove them.

We have had some wood floor stain removal success by careful, by-hand bleaching combined with sanding, followed by careful blending of hand-mixed wood stain products to return the color of the wood floor section to that of its neighbors. See Black Flooring Stains from Animals for details.

Nail & moisture stains on wood floors - Where small black stains developed in a wood floor in a 1920's bungalow that we restored (our lab and office) we had great success by combining sanding with spot bleach using a Q-tip to lighten the black spots where in prior years moisture had caused bleed and corrosion staining around those fasteners.

Any exposed nails were set into the flooring before sanding. After sanding we sat with a q-tip and a damp cloth, dabbing and bleaching black spots, wiping and washing off the bleach when the stain was light enough - thus avoiding over-bleaching the floor. We mixed wood stain products to bring the color of the stained-bleached spots back to the surrounding flooring.

Surface Scratch Repair on Hardwood Flooring

Scratched oak flooring (C) Daniel Friedman

Here is a long strip solid oak wood floor that's shows ugly but fairly superficial scratches. To make this 1970's strip oak wood floor look perfect, sanding and re-finishing may be necessary.

But an alternative to try first is thorough cleaning, perhaps buffing with steel wool, followed by application of a sealant and finish coating. Often superficial scratches in a wood floor disappear from view when the scratched finish coating is restored.

It's usually a better practice to repair a floor with the least aggressive means possible, preserving the material for a longer life.

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Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

  • America's Favorite Homes, mail-order catalogues as a guide to popular early 20th-century houses, Robert Schweitzer, Michael W.R. Davis, 1990, Wayne State University Press ISBN 0814320066 (may be available from Wayne State University Press)
  • American Plywood Association, APA, "Portland Manufacturing Company, No. 1, a series of monographs on the history of plywood manufacturing",Plywood Pioneers Association, 31 March, 1967, www.apawood.org
  • Asbestos products and their history and use in various building materials such as asphalt and vinyl flooring includes discussion which draws on Asbestos, Its Industrial Applications, D.V. Rosato, engineering consultant, Newton, MA, Reinhold Publishing, 1959 Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 59-12535 (out of print).
  • Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
  • Building Research Council, BRC, nee Small Homes Council, SHC, School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, brc.arch.uiuc.edu. "The Small Homes Council (our original name) was organized in 1944 during the war at the request of the President of the University of Illinois to consider the role of the university in meeting the demand for housing in the United States. Soldiers would be coming home after the war and would be needing good low-cost housing. ...  In 1993, the Council became part of the School of Architecture, and since then has been known as the School of Architecture-Building Research Council. ... The Council's researchers answered many critical questions that would affect the quality of the nation's housing stock.
    • How could homes be designed and built more efficiently?
    • What kinds of construction and production techniques worked well and which did not?
    • How did people use different kinds of spaces in their homes?
    • What roles did community planning, zoning, and interior design play in how neighborhoods worked?
    "
  • Isham: "An Example of Colonial Paneling", Norman Morrison Isham, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 5 (May, 1911), pp. 112-116, available by JSTOR.
  • Manufactured & Modular Homes: Modular Building Systems Association, MBSA, modularhousing.com, is a trade association promoting and providing links to contact modular builders in North America. Also see the Manufactured Home Owners Association, MHOAA, at www.mhoaa.us. The Manufactured Home Owners Association of America is a National Organization dedicated to the protection of the rights of all people living in Manufactured Housing in the United States.
  • Pergo AB, division of Perstorp AB, is a Swedish manufacturer or modern laminate flooring products. Information about the U.S. company can be found at http://www.pergo.com where we obtained historical data used in our discussion of the age of flooring materials in buildings.
  • Plank House Construction: webslog from plankhouse.wordpress.com/2009/01/25/plank-house-construction/ and where plank houses were built by native Americans, see
    Large 1:6 Scale Plank House Construction / P8094228, Photographer: Mike Meuser
    06/12/2007 documented at yurokplankhouse.com where scale model Museum quality Yurok Plank Houses are being sold to raise money for the Blue Creek - Ah Pah Traditional Yurok Village project.
  • Weaver: Beaver Board and Upson Board: Beaver Board and Upson Board: History and Conservation of Early Wallboard, Shelby Weaver, APT Bulletin, Vol. 28, No. 2/3 (1997), pp. 71-78, Association for Preservation Technology International (APT), available online at JSTOR.

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

  • Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
  • Home Reference Book - Carson DunlopThe Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

    Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
  • "The Elimination of Unsafe Guardrails, a Progress Report," Elliott O. Stephenson, Building Standards, March-April 1993
  • "Are Functional Handrails Within Our Grasp" Jake Pauls, Building Standards, January-February 1991
  • Access Ramp building codes:
    • UBC 1003.3.4.3
    • BOCA 1016.3
    • ADA 4.8.2
    • IBC 1010.2
  • Access Ramp Standards:
    • ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), Public Law 101-336. 7/26/90 is very often cited by other sources for good design of stairs and ramps etc. even where disabled individuals are not the design target.
    • ANSI A117.4 Accessible and Usable buildings and Facilities (earlier version was incorporated into the ADA)
    • ASTM F 1637, Standard Practice for Safe Walking Surfaces, (Similar to the above standards)
  • America's Favorite Homes, mail-order catalogues as a guide to popular early 20th-century houses, Robert Schweitzer, Michael W.R. Davis, 1990, Wayne State University Press ISBN 0814320066 (may be available from Wayne State University Press)
  • American Plywood Association, APA, "Portland Manufacturing Company, No. 1, a series of monographs on the history of plywood manufacturing",Plywood Pioneers Association, 31 March, 1967, www.apawood.org
  • Asbestos products and their history and use in various building materials such as asphalt and vinyl flooring includes discussion which draws on Asbestos, Its Industrial Applications, D.V. Rosato, engineering consultant, Newton, MA, Reinhold Publishing, 1959 Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 59-12535 (out of print).
  • Asbestos Identification and Testing References
    • Asbestos Identification, Walter C.McCrone, McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, IL.1987 ISBN 0-904962-11-3. Dr. McCrone literally "wrote the book" on asbestos identification procedures which formed the basis for current work by asbestos identification laboratories.
    • Stanton, .F., et al., National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 506: 143-151
    • Pott, F., Staub-Reinhalf Luft 38, 486-490 (1978) cited by McCrone
  • ASHRAE resource on dew point and wall condensation - see the ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook, available in many libraries. The following three ASHRAE Handbooks are also available at the InspectAPedia bookstore in the third page of our Insulate-Ventilate section:
  • Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
  • Building Research Council, BRC, nee Small Homes Council, SHC, School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, brc.arch.uiuc.edu. "The Small Homes Council (our original name) was organized in 1944 during the war at the request of the President of the University of Illinois to consider the role of the university in meeting the demand for housing in the United States. Soldiers would be coming home after the war and would be needing good low-cost housing. ...  In 1993, the Council became part of the School of Architecture, and since then has been known as the School of Architecture-Building Research Council. ... The Council's researchers answered many critical questions that would affect the quality of the nation's housing stock.
    • How could homes be designed and built more efficiently?
    • What kinds of construction and production techniques worked well and which did not?
    • How did people use different kinds of spaces in their homes?
    • What roles did community planning, zoning, and interior design play in how neighborhoods worked
  • "An Example of Colonial Paneling", Norman Morrison Isham, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 5 (May, 1911), pp. 112-116, available by JSTOR.
  • Humidity: What indoor humidity should we maintain in order to avoid a mold problem?
  • Slips, Trips, Missteps and Their Consequences, Second Edition, Gary M. Bakken, H. Harvey Cohen,A. S. Hyde, Jon R. Abele, ISBN-13: 978-1-933264-01-1 or ISBN 10: 1-933264-01-2, available from the publisher, Lawyers ^ Judges Publishing Company,Inc., www.lawyersandjudges.com sales@lawyersandjudges.com and also from the InspectAPedia Bookstore (Amazon.com)
  • What Style Is It?: A Guide to American Architecture, Rev., John C. Poppeliers, S. Allen Chambers, Wiley; Rev Sub edition (October 6, 2003), ISBN-10: 0471250368, ISBN-13: 978-0471250364
  • ...

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