Q&A for How to Repair Laminate Flooring

It isn't always super difficult, but it can be. When you do hardwood flooring, you have to also think about the base around the flooring. So very often you have to take the base up, the shoe needs to come off, when you do hardwood flooring, you have to also think about the base shoe and the base around the flooring. So, very often you have to take the base up, and you have to take the base shoe off. If you're floating a floor like you would with a laminate floor, you wouldn't take it right to the wall, you would take it about a quarter of an inch off of the wall. Then, you would put the base over it. The whole process can just get kind of convoluted depending on how you need to deal with the base.

It really depends on the material and the contractor. So, some laminate floor is really cheap; it can cost as little as 80 cents a square. The nicer stuff can run you $2.00-3.00 per square foot, but then there's the installation cost. That can run anywhere from $1.75-4.00 a square foot. Then, on top of that, it depends on the shape of the floor and how much space you're covering. Even then, there's still going to be the visit charge for the contractor, so the price can end up varying quite dramatically.

If it's quite a big gouge, then sometimes replacing the board is required. You'll have to disassemble the floor from one end of the room towards wherever the damaged piece is, replace that piece, then put the floor back together the way it was.

It can be difficult to keep a laminate surface clean and free of scratches, but there are a few things you can try. First, try baking soda, as it is an abrasive enough substance to remove dark marks and buff out scratches naturally. You can also try using laminate paste or filler. To do this, find a paste color that matches your laminate, apply it to the scratches, use a putty knife to smooth out each layer, and allow a minimum of 24 hours to dry.

The floor often expands with weather conditions and buckles if there is not a gap under the baseboard to allow for flooring expansion. Remove baseboards near the floor buckling area and ensure there is a gap between the wall and flooring. If not, trim the flooring to have a 1/4" gap between flooring and the wall. When you reinstall the baseboard, it will cover the gap.

You may be able to buy a crayon-like marking pencil of a matching color wherever you bought the flooring. It's made for hiding such flaws.

There are blocks and pull bars available for pounding out gaps. Get them anywhere that sells laminate flooring.

Toluene. It will erase black scuff marks, even the deep appliance marks when applied as directed on any laminate flooring, and works great on vinyl window frames, vinyl shutters, and siding. Find it at any hardware store. Make sure you follow the directions and wear proper protection (safety glasses and gloves, etc.) and keep away from any ignition source. Open a window for good ventilation. Just like any other solvent, use common sense.

It consists of planks of wood or laminate that feature a groove (or furrow) on one edge and a tongue (or tab) on the other edge. The tongue of one plank fits into the groove of an adjacent plank to form a flat and stable surface.

Same way as scratches - use putty for deep scratches and a color on top. Depending on the scratches, some can just be colored with a wax crayon-type kit for laminate floors, and deeper ones use other kits that fill scratches.

You can try this, it might fix small bubbles. For very water-damaged laminate, you will most likely need to replace it.

You can soak black teabags in boiling water, let it cool, and apply it to the white mark if you have light colored laminate. The tanin in theblack tea can help the white mark disappear in some cases. Otherwise, you might have to replace that section of flooring.

You can soak teabags in boiling water, then let it cool, and apply it to the white mark. This works sometimes for lighter colored floors. If you have dark laminate and this doesn't fix it, you might have to replace it.

If they are really small cracks you can fill them in with putty or a floor repair marker. For large cracks, you will have to cut out and replace the flooring.

The best way to repair a water damaged laminate floor is to replace the damaged section. Start at the side closest to the damaged board or boards. Carefully pry away baseboards and molding from the wall and pry thresholds up from any doorways with a pry bar. Then, lift out the damaged board and replace it with a new one. Return all of the pieces that you removed and tack any baseboards, molding, or thresholds back in place.

Start by cleaning the damaged area with a wet cloth to remove dirt and grime. For small scratches, use a floor repair marker to fill them in so they're no longer visible. For larger scratches or chips, apply putty over the area with a putty knife to fill them in. Wipe around the area with a dry cloth to remove excess putty or marker and let the filler dry completely.

It could a couple of different reasons. A lift in your laminate floor can be caused if the planks or joints weren't properly fitted when they were installed. An uneven subfloor could cause them to lift as well. If moisture gets under the floorboard, it could cause them to buckle and warp as well.