Water Damage and Hardwood Floors
Will insurance replace water damaged hardwood floors?
In general, water damage restoration companies will not pull-out hardwood floors, kitchen cabinets, tile floors or bathroom tubs without the claims adjuster’s approval. Industry standard is for water damage companies to attempt to salvage such materials before they are declared unsalvageable. This is all a part of the water damage insurance claims process. Before your claims adjuster buys you brand new hardwood floors, he or she needs to document the FACT of their unsalvageable water damage.
After hardwood floors have been dried, they must also be allowed time to re-acclimate. The re-acclimation period ranges from 30-60 days. It is not the job of the water damage restoration professional to determine whether or not hardwood floors are salvageable, that is the job of a flooring expert. Once the floors are dry, your insurance company will send out a vender to make a recommendation to refinish or replace the floors.
Keep in mind, the water damage flooring expert does not want to risk refinishing your floors if they are not 99% sure that they can make your damaged floors look brand new again. Going through the water damage claims process can take time & cause stress, but you can trust Flood Metrix to explain this process and provide clear, accurate insight every step of the way. The following notes are from a real flood damage claim.