Laminate Floor Repair

Prepare damaged laminate flooring

Introduction

Laminate floor go a ding? Whether it'south a small chip or a big divot, you lot tin repair it with simple, DIY techniques that make the floor look every bit good equally new.

Tools Required

Materials Required

  • Cleaning solvent
  • Extra flooring
  • Laminate flooring patching material
  • Woods glue

Assess the laminate floor impairment

Yous can fix minor chips and scratches in a laminate floor with filler products.

Merely if the damage is severe, you take to supervene upon the plank (you did save a few from the installation, right?). It'south a job yous can do yourself in about two hours. In addition to a spare plank, you'll need a circular saw, hammer and chisel, router or tabular array saw, drill and forest glue.

Some floor experts recommend removing the base molding and unsnapping and numbering every plank until you get to the damaged portion. That works if the damaged plank is shut to the wall. But trust u.s.a., if the damaged section is more than than a few rows out from the wall, it's really faster to merely cut it out.

If your laminate floor is glued together, the unsnapping routine won't work at all. Run into "Replacing Glued Planks," beneath. Plus, bank check out our expert guide for installing laminate flooring.

Projection footstep-by-stride (7)

Step 1

Replace 'snap-together' planks:

laminate floor repair

Remove the center section.Start past drawing a cutting line one-one/2 in. in from all four edges of the plank. Drill a three/viii-in. relief hole at each corner of the cutting line and again i/4 in. in from each corner of the plank.

Cut out the centre department with a circular saw, cutting from pigsty to hole. Set the depth of your circular saw a tad deeper than the floor thickness. Then lift the blade guard and dip the blade into the cutting line.

Step 2

Cutting to the corners

replace laminate floor damage

Next, cut from the center department into each corner, stopping at the drilled hole. Don't go whatever further! Finally, cut a relief cut from the center section out toward the seam of each plank. Tap a chisel into each relief cut to intermission out the uncut portion. So remove all the cutting pieces.

Footstep 3

Remove the bottom lip

remove bottom lip laminate floor plank

The new plank has a groove at 1 end and one side, also as a tongue at the reverse end and side. But you tin can't install it until yous cut off the lesser lip of both grooves and the side tongue. Score the tongue several times with a utility pocketknife. Then snap it off with pliers. Shave off any remaining scraps with your knife.

Here's a tip for cutting the groove: Stick the blade within the groove and cut off the bottom from the inside (or use a tabular array saw).

Utilize a bead of wood glue to all four edges of the new plank. Insert the glued tongue of the new plank into the groove on the existing flooring and drop the plank into place. Wipe off whatever backlog glue and load books on the plank until it's dry out.

Footstep 4

Supercede glued planks:

replace glued laminate planks

Raise the flooring to gain leverage.Most of the early laminate floors were fastened with glue. But that doesn't hateful y'all can't do an 'in-place' patch on those floors too. Follow all the cutting directions shown for a snap-together flooring.

Skid a dowel or chip piece of floor under the seam. Take hold of the section with pliers and tilt it down until the glued seam cracks apart. And so snap it upward to break whatever remaining mucilage.

Step five

The old glue has to get

remove glue from planks

Employ a flat-blade screwdriver or pocket-sized chisel to chip out the erstwhile glue. Go the surfaces as smooth every bit possible for a flush fit and a skillful mucilage bail. Lay the new plank when done.

Stride 6

Repair minor damage in laminate flooring:

Repair minor damage in laminate flooring

Scratches on Laminate Flooring or Chips?

Drop a knife or other precipitous-edged item and you lot'll get an instant bit in your laminate floor. Merely you don't need to phone call in a pro, because this repair is strictly DIY. If you accept the chip or an extra plank, accept it to a habitation eye or flooring supplier and match it up with a tube of laminate floor patching material. Yous may take to buy the two closest colors and mix them to match. While you lot're at that place, buy a matching brand of cleaning solvent.

Clean the floor with the solvent and let it dry. Side by side, squeeze a dollop of laminate repair paste onto a flake slice of flooring or a mixing board and mix it with a putty knife until information technology begins to dry. So printing a shallow layer into the flake. Don't effort to make full the entire chip in i awarding. Clean off whatever excess with solvent. Let the outset glaze fix for 1 hour earlier applying the side by side.

Originally Published: September 30, 2022