How To Replace A Damaged Piece Of Laminate Flooring

Laminate flooring is one of the most popular flooring options because of its durability and wooden flooring look. No matter how durable your flooring is and how keenly you maintain your flooring, there is still a chance of water damage, accidental loss, or natural wear and tear of your laminate flooring planks. Whenever something is used, there is a chance of damage, so you should know how to repair your laminate planks.

If your flooring is getting damaged and you don’t want to replace the entire floor, then this article is going to be very helpful for you. Today, I am going to explain all the things that you need to consider before replacing your laminate planks. In this blog, you will learn all the steps to replacing the damaged piece of plank on your floor. So, without further ado, let’s start.

When There Is A Need To Repair Laminate Flooring?

Minor damage to floors can be ignored, but if your floor is seriously damaged, then it’s time to replace it. There is no need to change the entire floor; instead, you can only exchange the damaged piece of flooring plank with a new one and save yourself the expense of changing the whole laminate flooring.

Sometimes, any of the planks of laminate flooring start looking bad and damaged. There are many chances of large scratches, chips, and raised or curled edges on the planks, so you just need to replace them. You can easily do all the steps on your own without hiring a pro because it is not a very tough task.

Tools And Material

When you are repairing your laminate flooring, there are some materials and tools that you will need during the replacement process. Here are some of the most essential things that you will need during the whole procedure.

• Extra flooring
• Wood glue
• Masking tape
• Cleaning solvent
• Pencil
• Safety glasses
• Straightedge
• Hammer
• Pliers
• Circular saw
• Weights
• Utility knife
• Chise

Steps For Replacing The Damaged Laminate Flooring

Now it’s time to discuss the steps to be taken for the replacement of your damaged laminate flooring plank. Here are the steps that you need to follow during the proceedings.

1.    Measure How Much To Replace

After making the decision to replace the flooring, now it’s time to measure how much of your laminate flooring is damaged. Check your flooring from all aspects and look at the bad ends of your flooring. When you find the damaged plank, then count the number of planks that you need to replace.

If you have some old planks of the same flooring, then you are very lucky and you can easily replace your bad planks. In case, if you don’t have any plank in your basement, then you have to visit the manufacturer of your flooring. Take a picture of your flooring and find exactly the same planks for your flooring.

2.   Disassembly

Now, you have to disassemble the bad laminate flooring planks from your floor. For this purpose, you have to notice the edges of the damaged planks. If the planks are along with the wall, then you have to remove the baseboards from your wall to remove the laminate planks. You should be careful while you are removing the baseboards because it can damage the paint on your walls.

You can use a box cutter for the separation of baseboards. If your bad planks are 2 to 3 planks away from the baseboards, then you can remove them and reach the damaged planks. Disassembly of the planks doesn’t take too much time.

Removal of the first plank is the most arduous task, and the process is very easy after this. You can apply pressure with a tool and force the plank vertically to unlock the joint. Then, after removing the first plank, apply force sidewise to remove further planks. One by one, remove the planks until you reach the damaged part of your flooring.

3.    Remove The Center Of The Damaged Laminate Flooring Plank

When you reach the damaged plank, now it’s time to remove it. To remove the bad plank, you have to cut it with a saw. For cutting the plank, the easiest way is to cut the center of the damaged plank. When you have done with the cutting, remove the centerpiece of the plank.

4.    Remove Remaining Pieces

As the style of installation of the flooring is staging style, now you have to remove the other pieces of the planks after the centerpiece. Start removing the other pieces from the edge of the already removed piece. Now use the chisel to detach the uncut pieces of the plank and remove all the small and remaining pieces.

5.    Cutting Of New Flooring planks

You should know that the planks of laminate flooring have a groove on one end and a tongue on the other hand. You have to fix the groove of one plank into the tongue of another plank to fix your flooring planks with each other. Now if you have to replace the old broken plank, you have to cut the grove of both planks and the tongue of the new plank to fix the planks into one another.

Cut the tongue with a utility knife or a box cutter, and use pliers to snap the tongue off. If any remaining piece is there, you can shave it by using a blade.

Note: During the cutting of planks, protect yourself from every sharp object otherwise, it could be dangerous. If you can’t do this step, then you can take help from a pro.

6.    Apply Glue On The Plank And Fix It

Now, after cutting the planks, apply a rich amount of glue on all four sides of the plank. After applying glue, you have to fix the tongue of the new plank into the groove of the existing old plank.

 

After fixing the plank, it can easily adjust to its place. Remove all the excess glue on the surface of the plank after installing it. Repeat the process, and install all the new planks in place of the damaged or bad planks.

How Do You Maintain Your Laminate Flooring?

If you want to prevent your floor from hazardous issues, then you have to take care of it properly. Here are some points that you can follow to maintain the beauty and durability of your laminate flooring.

• When you are installing your new laminate flooring, make sure that you have hired experts in this field. An inexperienced man can destroy your flooring, so always hire a company with an excellent reputation.
• For the cleaning of your flooring, you have to use a microfiber mop or any soft mop that can’t affect the beauty of your flooring. You can also use a vacuum cleaner on laminate flooring, but make sure that it does not damage the shiny layer of your flooring.
• If your flooring gets a stain, then please avoid using strong cleaners, bleaches, or oil solutions, because they can give a permanent stain to your floors, and can also damage the protective layer of your flooring.
• It is always considered the best idea to use polishing products on laminate flooring to maintain its beauty, but please don’t do this at all. It can make your flooring surface sticky and ruin the natural beauty of your flooring.
• If you want to prevent your flooring from being damaged, then you can also put rugs, mats, or carpets on it. It can increase the beauty and strength of your flooring.

Conclusion

Now you know all about How To Replace A Damaged Piece Of Laminate Flooring? And can easily prepare your floor on your own. I have also mentioned the maintenance tips for your flooring so you can prevent your floors from being damaged

Best of luck with the repair of your laminate flooring. I hope my blog can help you to replace your bad laminate flooring like a pro.