No matter how beautiful and durable laminate flooring, different kinds of damages and scratches can eventually affect how it looks. Availing professional services can be costly, especially during this time when almost everyone is affected by the global financial crisis. It is easy to save money while enjoying beautiful floors by learning how to repair laminate floor.
Materials Needed
Maintaining nice looking laminate flooring is moderately easy. However, you need certain materials to get the job done. For this task, be sure to have enough replacement for damaged laminate flooring, a hammer and a screwdriver. Likewise, things are easier to do with the availability of a laminate floor repair kit.
Steps
For minor scratches, you can fix the problem by purchasing a laminate floor repair kit. This product is available in almost all hardware stores. You can be sure of the same quality and color like the old floor by bringing with you a piece of the old flooring. Right on the packaging, simply follow the instructions written there and watch all those scratches go away.
If the damage is severe enough to require laminate floor replacement, use a hammer or screwdriver to remove the molding and loosen up the damaged floorboard. All the boards leading to the damaged part must be removed because they are usually arranged like a jigsaw puzzle.
After removing the damaged board, simply replace it with a new one. Slowly put back every part that you removed earlier. You can also replace each of the other boards you removed if you like. Get the hammer and then pound the molding back in place.
When a section of the floor is buckling, this problem can be fixed by reducing the tension amongst the boards. The cause of this problem is the increased tension somewhere close to the wall. Change in weather conditions may have caused the expansion of the boards although there is no more space available to expand. Take out the molding surrounding the buckled board. Take the spacers off as well, which serve as support between the first board and the wall. Use smaller spacers instead of the bigger spacers. Get a new molding and then hammer it into place. In case the gaps between boards are big, use slightly bigger spacers.
Additional Tips and Other Helpful Information
When installing laminate flooring, the use of glue is not necessary because the parts usually click together just like a jigsaw puzzle. Always remember to choose a laminate floor repair kit with the same color as your flooring for aesthetic purposes. It is not good to use a wet mop to clean this kind of flooring, which can eventually lead to warping or buckling.