Repair Laminate Flooring
Many laminate flooring issues are generally covered under the floor's warranty. Wear and tear and damage caused by unrecommended use or accidents are not often on the list of warranty coverages. Scratches, chips and cracks caused by daily use do occasionally happen. They do not mean your floor is destroyed. You do not have to live with even the most minor flaws in your flooring. Learning how to repair laminate flooring is possible for those who hesitate to call in a professional or want to avoid the price tag that comes with it.
Contents
Steps
Repair minor scratches or surface issues.
- Clean the damaged area. Make sure the floor is dry before you proceed.
- Purchase a kit to repair laminate floors. Kits come in a variety of colors so you can find one that matches your floor. If you have an extra piece of your flooring on hand, take it with you to purchase your repair supplies in order to guarantee a matching color.
- Fill in the scratches with the putty or crayon that comes in the laminate floor repair kit. The putty or wax will fill in the scratch. You can use a knife or a putty knife to press the putty into larger scratches.
- Wipe the area with a dry cloth to remove extra wax or coloring that got on undamaged flooring.
Repair major issues near the edge of the laminate flooring.
- Take the baseboard off the wall. Use care when completing this step so that you do not cause yourself more work and cost by damaging the wall or the baseboard. When expertly removed, a baseboard can be reapplied to the wall once the flooring repair is complete.
- Lift out the floor boards starting with the ones closest to the wall. Work in to the site of the damage.
- Replace the damaged board with a new one. The tongue and groove of opposite pieces will interlock.
- Return all the boards you removed to their place. Work in reverse order as when you removed them.
- Tack the baseboard or molding back in place.
Replace laminate flooring in difficult to get to areas.
- Locate the damaged board.
- Cut a section out of the center of the board. The best way to do this is to drill a few holes 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) in from each side. Cut through the board from one hole to the next.
- Remove the center.
- Cut from the center to the outer edge of the remaining parts of the board.
- Take out the edge pieces.
- Cut the tongue off your new, replacement board.
- Apply floor glue to the edges of the replacement board.
- Fit the board into place. Match the groove on your new board with the tongue on the existing piece of laminate already installed in your floor. Because you removed the tongue from the new laminate board, the board should now fall into place.
- Use a damp cloth to remove any excess glue.
- Weight the repaired area. Select something heavy or use weights to lay on top of the entirety of the newly glued board. Keep the weights on the board for 24 hours to ensure the glue is completely dry.
Things You'll Need
- Laminate repair kit
- Laminate floor board
- Floor Glue
- Damp cloth
- Dry cloth
- Putty knife
