Hardwood floors are quite common in Knoxville. As are tile and luxury vinyl plank. While wood has its own particular set of issues, such as wood rot, all types of flooring are susceptible to cracks, chips, and dents. Whatever particular issue you’re facing with your particular floor style, you want to make sure the company you choose to help has experience repairing it. That’s Mr. Handyman of West Knoxville. We have extensive experience in floor repair. Read on to discover more about how we help restore your floors to their former glory.
Hardwood Floors
Solid hardwood floors are, perhaps, the most difficult to maintain. From oak to pine to maple to fir—these are beautiful options, and they make a great impression. They are the easiest to scratch and scuff—even when treated.
Two issues unique to wood flooring are moisture damage and noise. Knoxville can get quite humid in the summer, and that means your floors will swell unless you keep your home at a steady, cool temperature with low indoor humidity. If not, then you’ll see them warp and buckle, leading the planks to become uneven tripping hazards. To repair wooden flooring, we’ll need to get to the root of the issue. A few common types of hardwood floor repair include solutions for:
- Wood rot: Wood rot can be cut away in sections. Though it’s a fast-spreading fungus that can and will take over your entire floors if left untreated, catching it early often means only a small repair is needed.
- Water damage: Water damage leads to wood rot; when it affects one plank, it will likely seep into others. It’s important to address water damage right away to stop it in its tracks. To do this, we’ll likely need to replace the entire plank.
- Cracks, scratches, and dents: Hairline cracks and chips may be repaired with wood putty or epoxy filler. Scratches can be covered with a wood-stain marker. Dents require sanding and restaining.
If any of these issues is found in excess, we will recommend replacing the entire plank rather than trying to cover up multiple imperfections. It will result in a better-looking finish. The same goes for engineered wood.
Ceramic Tile
Tile is one of the smartest choices for Knoxville homes. However, drop one heavy item in your kitchen, and you’ll most certainly take a chip out of it.
A few of the more frequent types of tile floor repair in Knoxville we perform are as follows:
- Cracking and chipping: Chips happen when something hard strikes the tile. At first, it may crack, and then with time, an entire section of your tile may come off.
- Loose Tile: This may be the cause of your tile installer using the wrong adhesive or not properly laying the tiles. To fix the affected tiles, we’ll need to remove them to inspect what’s going on underneath. We’ll use the proper adhesive and ensure the ground is level.
- Improper Installation: In preparation for tile, floors need to be measured, and the tiles need to be arranged before they can be laid. Proper preparation also includes leveling the ground and applying underlayment. If the mortar is mixed wrong or the ground is not level, your tile will run into issues such as raised sections. Grouting must also be performed correctly to seal the tiles down and prevent moisture from getting underneath them.
- Uneven flooring: The flooring in your home could be uneven due to improper installation. However, the concrete slab may also cause issues. When a slab cracks or sinks, tiles can rise or sink. This is a larger issue that requires addressing the issues with your slab first.
Luxury Vinyl Planks
Made from PVC, luxury vinyl planks (LVP) have the appearance of wood and come in small, easily-replaceable sections. While you can buy scratch and water-resistant LVP, certain types do have their limitations. You will likely experience scratching, dents, and possibly chips in your LVP over time, depending on your particular household’s daily activities. Often, all that’s needed to get your floors back into fighting shape is a plank replacement.
Laminate
Laminate is made from plastic, and while you’ll have many different design options to choose from, one of the main downsides of this material is that it’s difficult to repair. If you have a scratch or crack in your laminate, we will simply replace the entire section. This particular material cannot be sanded or stained nor filled and re-grouted.
