There are many ‘unorthodox’ and tried and tested processes used on wood flooring to enhance it, prolong its life, and protect it.

One that you may not have heard of is ‘water popping’ which, in short, is a method of making your wood flooring look even better using the single ingredient of...water.

The process (which can sometimes be referred to as ‘grain popping’ or ‘raising the grain’) is an easy and inexpensive way of elevating the appearance of your wood flooring which we will explore further in this blog

What is water popping?

Water popping is a process that opens the grain in wood flooring to help you achieve a more even and rich appearance in the stain.

It involves carefully and strategically adding water to your wood floor after it has been sanded down but before you apply the stain and finish it.

It works because wood is a hygroscopic material - which means that it readily attracts water from its surrounding through absorption - so when water is added to it, the grain opens. With this comes many benefits which is why it has become so popular.

However, it’s important to note that there are risks involved in water popping, as we know the dangers of mixing wood and water, which is why it should be carried out by a professional who has experience and knowledge in the process.

Does water popping work on all wood floors?

Water popping is generally reserved for oak wood flooring when it is being stained, especially for darker hardwoods.

If you are going for a natural finish then water popping will serve no purpose, and it should definitely be avoided on most non-oak woods such as Ash, Maple, Pine and Mahogany as it could end up making the stain look more blotchy.

What are the benefits of water popping?

The main benefit, and purpose, of water popping is that it makes the hardwood floors porous so that they can be properly stained and finished.

During the sanding process of finishing wood floors, the grains of the wood close as sawdust gets trapped in some of the pores. It makes the wood denser and less porous preventing the stain from being absorbed as deeply into the wood.
This is where water-popping can help, by opening these pores back up and allowing for more successful staining.

It means that the overall appearance and end result of your wood flooring will be elevated without costing you a penny.

Some of the notable benefits of water popping are that:

• It raises the fibres in the wood which gives you more surface area to apply the stain and allows it to go deep into the wood, enhancing the overall finish
• It allows the stain to be applied more evenly across the floor
• It helps blend sanding marks into the rest of wood grain which creates a more professional look and feel
• It enables the stain to better penetrate the wood
• It leaves you with a more intense colour which means you can go even deeper and darker with dark stains

How to water-pop a wood floor

To start, you’ll need to ensure that you have the correct equipment. This includes making sure that you are using purified water rather than the water out of your tap as the chemicals that are sometimes contained within tap water can be harmful to the wood.

Then, you’ll need to test the moisture content of the wood floor by using a moisture meter so that you can establish a baseline that can be used to indicate when the floor is completely dry.

There are a couple of different ways in which you can then proceed to water-pop your wood floors.

One option is to apply the water to the floor using a wet mop, a rag or a buffer with a carpet pad soaked in water. Though effective, this method can be time-consuming and involves a lot of manual labour.

Alternatively, you can fill a watering can with your purified water, and pour a 2-inch line along the floor, following the direction of the grain, and then use a T-bar (or window squeegee) to evenly spread the water out.
This is considered the simplest, quickest and most effective way to get the job done.

Once the water has been applied to the entirety of the floor, you’ll need to let it dry for 2-4 hours - using the moisture meter to help you establish when it has fully dried - and then complete the process by applying the stain to, what should be, a gritty textured flooring.

Water popping is a process that can quickly go south if it isn’t carried out correctly.
It is important to use a precise quantity of water, for example, otherwise you could oversaturate the wood and cause it to swell.

You must also ensure that you spread the water evenly across the surface of the floor because uneven water distribution can cause the floor to look blotchy in certain areas under the stain.
The only fix for this is to re-sand the surface of the wood which can be time-consuming and costly.
To avoid these kinds of errors, you should always get water-popping carried out by a flooring expert.