Floor Repair

Once in awhile a laminate floor may need repair due to high traffic usage. While they are normally durable, laminate flooring will undoubtedly need repaired at some point. Below is a list of common problems with laminate floors and how to repair them :

Scratching

Scratching in a common problem for laminate floor and happens as furniture is move around, or from pet claws or heel of shoes. Use felt castors on furniture to reduce inevitably scratching the floor or paw socks on pets. To fix a minor scratch in laminate floor, purchase a laminate floor repair kit from most hardware stores. Make sure to take a piece of flooring with you so you can match up the colors. Follow the directions on the package.

Peaking

This happens when the laminate floor boards push up against each other, resulting in high points at the joints. Common cause of peaking is a lack of expansion space between the laminate floor and the walls around the perimeter of the installation, or a lack of expansion space between the laminate floor and laminate moldings. If moldings in the doorways or around the perimeter of the room have been fixed to the floor, this prevents the laminate floor from expanding as it is a floating floor and must not be fixed to the sub floor or moldings at any point. 

Buckling or warping

High moisture content in the air or excessive water on the surface of the floor can lead to buckling or warping. It is important never to wet mop a laminate floor. Laminate floor installed without sufficient moisture barrier (especially if it’s on a concrete sub-floor) leads to water or dampness to rise from the sub-floor, thus causing buckling/warping. Inferior product construction may also be a cause. Ensure that a moisture barrier is installed between the floating floor and sub-floor during installation.

Gapping

When laminate flooring boards pull away from one another it results in gaps between the boards. This situation occurs if the temperature drops to a point way below what is considered normal. Always acclimatize your flooring to the room temperature and conditions of the room in which the laminate is to be installed. As oppose to removal of spacers to remedy peaking/buckling, if there are gaps between boards, increase the spacers at the wall.

Mold and mildew

In order to prevent, control, or eradicate mold and mildew, one must first identify, evaluate, and eliminate the source of excessive moisture. Prior to removing an existing flooring or installing a new floor or repairing an existing laminate floor, if there are visible indications of mold or mildew or the presence of a strong musty odor in the area where flooring is to be removed or installed, the source of the problem should be identified and corrected.