Most people when they think of water damage to a wood floor, they think of a water heater or washing machine giving out and submerging the entire floor. This is actually one of the most common ways wood floors get damaged and insurance companies have the claims to prove it.

Yet there’s a shadowy underworld that came into play with this one. We recently wrapped up a job in Dallas where we came across this:

The homeowner advised no water had gotten onto the floor from the top and no unusual liquids or cleaning products had been used. I glanced to the adjacent room and sure enough, there was a bathroom there.

A leak from two areas (shower and sink) had caused moisture to seep through and run down the room causing this gradual mutation of the floors.

As you can see, this started spreading in one part of the floor and migrated down.

Destruction by stealth.

You see the floor dying, but you can’t see why or where because it’s all happening in the underworld.

Wood is a product of nature and will do what comes naturally if faced with too much moisture. So if you see this symptom on your floor, just be assured your wood is normal and is doing what wood is supposed to do.