Repair a water-damaged laminate floor

Despite durability being one of its main properties, as many floor owners will know, laminate flooring can become damaged if exposed to large amounts of water.

The signs of this damage are extremely unpleasant and include warping, the smell and appearance of mold, and discolouration.

However, with a bit of patience and tact, a DIY enthusiast can see to its repair – with these five simple steps:

• Take a small crowbar and remove the damaged floorboards; a hammer and chisel can help in creating an area for the crowbar to grip.
• If there are any damaged patches of underlayment – remove them; also remove if there are any signs of mold and subsequently replace with new underlayment.
• Create a layout plan for the new boards, at the same time ensuring that it's similar to the previous design. Make sure the seaming is staggered to keep it consistent with the already present pattern and mark any needed cuts with a pencil.
• Once the boards are cut to shape, (cutting along the pencil lines) they can then be laid into position. Toenail the new board into the neighboring board and repeat the process across the length and width of the area that requires replacements.
• The final step is just a simple case of using a hand plane to plane the tongue section from the last board that's to be laid into place – to ensure that it's a snug fit.

The latest flooring news, courtesy of Floors Online.

Date : 10/08/2011
Category: Flooring Industry News