When floors suffer their inevitable wear and tear problems, the nastiness can silently work its way from being purely cosmetic to be structurally damaging. Once the top “vanity” layer of flooring is cracked, warped or gouged, it opens up moisture passage to the support components, such as the underlayment, the subfloor and finally (and worst of all) the joists.

The subfloor is anchored to the joists beneath (think of the joists as the equivalent of support studs), which keep it upright and level. Wear, moisture and age can cause the subfloor to pull away from the joists and create small annoyances such as a squeaks or springy sections. If moisture reaches the joists and rots them, however, small annoyances can become major ones: uneven or swollen patches of floor, sagging, sunken support beams or a noticeable decomposition of foundation walls. If you discover evidence that your joists are deteriorating, such as a soggy or sagging section of floor, sprung wood, tile or other floor covering, or unexplained dampness of floors and/or lower walls, it’s time to have a pro come out and investigate the damage. Such problems could indicate a leak beneath the flooring, a situation not to be trifled with.

Now that the worst-case scenario has been hazarded, let’s move on to more prosaic issues that are mainly preventive in nature; the good and bad news about floors is that they are among the first places to show damage because they are always, well, underfoot. Cosmetic flaws are a sign that the floor may need repairs, most of which are fairly simple to employ and whose quick implementation can help prevent deeper and more serious destruction. Plus, they’ll make the floor look better, which is always a nice side effect.

Tip: Before you proceed to any repairs that involve removing sections of old resilient flooring, such as vinyl, linoleum, polyurethane, cork or asphalt compounds, that were produced and/or installed prior to 1986, first determine whether or not the flooring materials contain asbestos. If you believe asbestos may be in any of your flooring layers, elect instead to install new flooring over old, or contact a contractor who is certified in asbestos abatement. Asbestos has been determined to cause a rare but deadly form of lung cancer and even light exposure should be strictly avoided.