It is now possible to restore water damaged hardwood flooring and avoid costly repairs or replacement. With the use of desiccant dehumidification, water can be removed from hardwood flooring allowing the wood to return to its original condition, often without sanding or refinishing.
Several techniques are used in order to effectively dry hardwood flooring. Often the area to be dried is tented with plastic sheeting. The plastic is affixed to the floor with adhesive and/or duct tape. The tent decreases the volume to be dried and provides a controllable drying environment.	Tented Gym Floor
When exposed to water and high levels of humidity the moisture content of wood increases and the wood expands. Woods greatest expansion occurs perpendicular to the grain, this causes the wood to become wider and possibly cup or buckle. Cupping occurs when the bottom of the wood becomes wet, expands and raises the edges. If cupping is not stopped the wood will eventually buckle and raise away form the sub-floor.	Buckled Gym Floor
A common mistake is to sand the cupping out of a floor. If the wood is not properly dried before sanding and refinishing, the raised edges will be removed and the wood will be permanently damaged once it dries.