Many house owners prefer laminated floors at home, because of the high durability of this type of flooring. However, they may need to repair their floors after a few years, when the floor surface is scratched or buckled at several spots. Since it is quite easy to repair the laminate flooring, homeowners can do it themselves without hiring professional experts for this matter. They only need to have the tools and materials required for this job, to accomplish all types of floor repairing works.
Clean the damaged floor surface
Firstly, the entire flooring surface should be cleared thoroughly with a wet cloth. All the accumulated dirt particles need to be wiped off from the damaged parts of the floor and this surface should be completely dried before starting the repairing process.
Repairing scratches on floor surface
All the minor scratches on the laminate flooring can be covered with a wax pencil or marker, which should have the same shade as the floor. This pencil or marker should be rubbed multiple times to disguise the scratches. The marker ink needs to be dried for half an hour before applying another coating of the marker. However, deep scratches should be repaired by applying a putty of the same color as the floor. This putty can be spread over the damaged area and pressed over the scratches with a putty knife.
Prevention of buckles on flooring
The buckles form on the laminate flooring due to the presence of excessive atmospheric moisture or absence of sufficient gaps between the flooring boards. It is best to prevent the buckling of the flooring, by leaving the flooring boards for 2 -3 days to allow the expansion of wood in the room temperature. Moreover, certain gaps should be left for the probable expansion of the hardwood boards. It is also suggested to install underlayment directly over the ground, to protect the flooring wood in too humid places. All the joints of laminated boards should be sealed to protect against spilling liquids or flowing water in kitchens and bathrooms.
Replacement of damaged planks
If the flooring boards still buckle despite all preventive measures, the damaged boards should be replaced with the new laminate flooring material. If too deep scratches from over the floor surface, then also the replacement of the affected boards is the best solution. The wooden planks should be removed from the nearest wall, to reach the damaged parts of the flooring. The molding or the baseboard covering the lower part of the wall should also be removed in this process. The damaged planks should be taken out carefully, to replace with new laminated boards. Then all other planks need to be installed, including the baseboard.
Thus, the repairing process of the laminated floor is quite simple and can be done by all homeowners.