Laminate floors are very popular due to their many advantages, including aesthetic appearance and the ease of maintenance. However, over time they can deteriorate and, as they are not wooden floors, the option of sanding or stabbing them is ruled out. How to repair laminate flooring then? We give you some ideas in this article.
How to repair a laminate floor
One of the disadvantages of laminate flooring is that when it breaks down, it has a difficult solution: normally, the boards in the affected area have to be replaced. That is why many times the experts in this sector emphasize the importance of prevention and correct maintenance:
It is important to avoid introducing stones or sand from the street into the property. For this, you can place a doormat at the entrance. Keep in mind that both sand and pebbles can get on our shoes and scratch the ground when walking.
Dragging furniture is another action that can deteriorate the floor, as it can leave grooves or scratches on the surface. To avoid this, you can put protections on the legs of the furniture.
Is the damage already done? Maybe you can still repair it. Today there are repair kits for laminate floors, but depending on the type of deterioration or damage that has occurred, the necessary tools will be one or the other.
The most frequent problems with laminate floors have to do with scratches, broken boards or gaps between them.
The tools to be used could be, among others, the following:
Materials and tools
Blade – Chisel – Hammer – Sandpaper – Brush – Spatula – Boards – Wax blocks – Glue.
Difficulty of repair
It really depends on each case: changing the floor is more difficult than repairing a scratch.
One thing that you cannot lose sight of is that the repair result will directly affect your home’s aesthetics. Therefore, if you are not sure, the best thing you can do is hire a professional to repair your laminate floor. On the other hand, if you are a handyman and experienced in-home repair and know all the risks, you may want to try it.
Have you already decided? Take a look at our tips for repairing a laminate floor.
Scratches and cracks
Have you detected a scratch or incision in some of the boards that make up the floor? One of the solutions could be to change those areas of the floor for new ones.
Suppose you are looking for a less expensive alternative. In that case, you may be interested to know that there are a series of products (waxes and putties) specially designed to hide the deterioration of laminate flooring. In repairing wooden floors, you can proceed in a similar way.
1. Prepare the surface
Before starting, make sure that the area is clean and dry. Then you will have to choose a suitable color for the putty: ideally, it should be as close to the floor as possible.
Keep in mind that you can play with waxes of different colors: lighter tones can serve as a background color and can be combined with a darker color for knots or stripes.
2. Apply the wax or putty
Once you have prepared the floor, all you have to do is fill the scratch with the product and spread it with a spatula. Keep in mind that it is advisable to use a little more wax or putty than necessary.
At first, it may seem like a simple task, but handling the product often requires heating or melting it. It is also essential to invest some time of concentration, since finding the exact shade and applying the putty without being too noticeable is not always easy.
To finish, it will be necessary to remove the excess product. You can help yourself with a damp cloth.
Broken boards
Sometimes the problem is not a simple scratch, but some boards may be broken. In these cases, replacement is the only solution: you have to remove the damaged board and replace it with a new one.
It may be the situation that your floor model has ceased to be manufactured. If you had trouble finding a suitable replacement, the solution would be to change the entire floor.
If you are lucky and find replacement boards, there are usually two ways to proceed: remove all the floor until you reach the affected board or cut it and replace it with a new one.
Laminate flooring repair
- Removing the soil
Laminate flooring is usually installed with a click system, so in principle, removing the damaged board should not be very difficult. Of course, it will probably be necessary to remove all the floors until you reach the broken board and replace it later.
- Cutting the board
The board can also be cut with an incision saw and the damaged panel can be removed with a chisel to later apply glue and place the new panel to replace it.
If you do not have much experience in this type of installation, you can consult a professional to help you.
Due to the humidity, the different floor panels can move, causing different openings in the joints. To fix it, you can try the following:
Remove the skirting from the side where the board appears to have moved. Using the chisel and hammer, pry it away from the wall.
When you’ve removed the skirting board, it will be much easier to determine which board has come loose or is causing the problem. Put the panel back in place with the help of the hammer and the impact block.
Reattach the skirting using glue.
Sometimes the ground can rise slightly. The procedure is similar: You have to remove the skirting to detect which board is too close to the wall. Then you have to see what is left over to fix the board at the same height as the rest. Once the problem has been fixed, the skirting is put back.
How much does laminate flooring repair cost?
Setting the price for laminate flooring repair is tricky. As you have already seen, there are different types of problems and small flaws that can arise to this floor. However, in many cases, the only solution may be to change your laminate floor for a new one. Or, at least, to replace the damaged area.
