How To Repair Wood Floor Damaged By Dog Urine

August 6 2012 in a condo i own the tenant s 2 cats and 1 dog urinated to a 70 penetration rate on ceramic tile on the first level the gypsum concrete on the second level and the plywood subflooring on the stairs and third level.

How to repair wood floor damaged by dog urine.

By the time a pet stain is as dark or extensive as the ones shown here the ammonia burn has penetrated deeply into the hardwood probably far deeper than you would want to sand. Repairing pet urine damage to floors. Dog urine can ruin a hardwood floor especially when not cleared immediately. Dog urine is comprised of uric acid which is known to break through the protective layer of hardwood floors exposing it to further damage.

Urine stains often leave a dark even black stain on wood floors. The ammonia in the urine further damages the wood inside causing microbes and bacteria to spread throughout the unprotected wood. If the client wants a pristine wood floor the best option is to remove the stained wood in question and weave in new. Sanding the floor and apply touch up hardwood floor stain using a paint brush can fix small damage caused by the urine.

To replace all the damaged wood in our apartment and refinish it all to match would run us about 8 000. I have over the past five decades opened floors where the damage was way beyond the flooring itself and had affected the subfloor and sometimes even the joists. Urine is usually the worst as far as staining since it s a liquid but poop or vomit can cause damage and staining. If the damaged area isn t very large smaller than say a standard piece of paper it might be best to simply forget about resealing unless the blemish is in a high traffic spot says hunt.

Urine can react with or penetrates the finish and dry out to form a stain or spot. But if you don t clean up dog pee on hardwood floors right away it can soak down into the actual wood. You can also consult a professional of the kind of sandpaper to be used to avoid greater damage. When caught and cleaned immediately there is minimal damage to your floors but often with pets you can t always find the accident when it happens.

Even if your floors are sealed dog urine can still penetrate the wood and reach the subfloor resulting in discoloration and an ammonia like. The vast majority of pet stains have to be patched out. This can happen if you don t notice the mess or if you have carpet over the hardwood and urine soaks through to the wood below.