There are plenty of reasons why you choose laminate flooring for your house. This kind of flooring is long-lasting, reasonably priced, and appealing. Also, laminate flooring is versatile.
These flooring might not be affected by the odd spill or dripping appliance, but they will be if there is a major flood. Water-damaged laminate floors may eventually buckle, bend, or suffer more damage if you ignore them.
To address the problem, we’ll talk about how you can repair laminate flooring water damage.
Guide: How To Repair Laminate Flooring Water Damage
Your floor may start to show signs of water damage when enough water seeps through the laminate and ruins the wood. This involves the growth of mold, bubbling or cracking laminate, and buckling boards. Such damage cannot be repaired from laminate flooring boards, but it can be replaced one at a time.
Make sure that the replacement boards you buy complement the flooring you currently have before starting. Remember that if your flooring has worn over time, the coloring may have somewhat changed.
Here are the steps to on how to repair laminate flooring water damage:
Step #1: Stop The Source Of Damage
Inspect all of the appliances that are in the vicinity of the damaged area, including the air conditioning system, dishwasher, washing machine, and water heater. Make sure leaks are addressed and any problems are fixed. Ignoring the flooring deterioration could have serious repercussions.
Seek professional assistance if you are unable to locate the leak.
Step #2: Remove Any Excess Water
Although laminate flooring may withstand some moisture on the surface, prolonged exposure to moisture can still cause damage. Before proceeding to the following stage, all affected boards should be cleaned and dried.
Before making any repairs or applying a sealant, make sure that any leaks have been repaired. Your laminate flooring will sustain more damage if your leak continues.
Step #3: Check The Affected Areas
You have to find any or all affected areas on your laminate flooring. If certain areas remain unidentified, you may have a bigger problem on your hands because untreated or poorly handled areas are susceptible to bacteria and mold growth.
Check for cracks, discoloration, bubbling, mold, and other abnormalities; also look for buckling or deformed boards. Mark the areas that need repair using fabric tape or sticky notes. A mold remediation professional should be contacted immediately if there are indications of more significant mold contamination affecting the entire floor.
Step #4: Get Your Tools Prepared
You’ll need the following tools for repairing water damage effectively:
- Adhesive for floors
- Cleaning solvent
- Hammer
- Measuring tape
- Pliers
- Putty knife
- Safety glasses
- Underlayment material replacement
- Utility knife
The damaged planks must also be replaced. Look for a similar design in the hardware store in your neighborhood.
Step #5: Remove Damaged Boards
Take time to remove the damaged boards first. On the damaged edges, try using a putty knife. Regardless of how little the damage to the board is, remove the entire board. It will eventually get worse if you don’t take care of the board. You should be able to see the exposed floor beneath the board after rooming it in. Next, before putting in the new boards, look for any indications of mold growth on the bare floor and give it a disinfection.
Step #6: Replace Up The Damaged Boards
Inspect whether the replacement boards fit precisely on the exposed floors. After applying the adhesive and placing the new flooring in the proper spot, laminate floors damaged by water can be repaired.
You must let any recently purchased boards have time to get adjusted to your house, just like you did when the laminate wood was initially put in. Before moving on, let the new boards stay in the area of the house where you will install them for two to three days. This will let the porous wood expand and contract in reaction to changes in the humidity and temperature of the area where it is installed.
Fit the first replacement board, starting from the farthest point away from the wall. Depending on your laminate wood’s locking mechanism, you can either click the replacement board in place or fit the tongue that looks like a jigsaw piece into the exposed floorboard’s gap.
One of the damaged boards should be placed at the opposite end of the board that you are fitting if there is too much friction for the tongue to be easily snapped into the gap by hand. Until the solid board is firmly inserted into the floorboard, lightly tap the area with a hammer. Replace each broken board with a new one, going backward from the order you removed them, and then reinstall all of the unaffected boards.
Baseboards, thresholds, and molding from the floor’s edges that were to be removed should be replaced in the same order that they have been removed. Line up the new finishing nails with the holes already there and use a hammer to gently tap each one into place.
Contact A Professional When You Are In Doubt
Water damage can vary greatly in severity, so it’s not a laughing matter. Sadly, laminate floors may be vulnerable to some of the more serious problems. Not all of these issues can be fixed using items you have lying around the house, and laminate flooring is not always repairable. There will be instances when it needs professional attention.
Call your local water damage restoration or flooring restoration professional to handle the process if, after trying all of the above steps on how to repair laminate flooring water damage, you still believe that you are unable to repair laminate flooring. You won’t have to deal with the inconvenience of doing it yourself when a professional can remove, replace, and repair damaged laminate efficiently and professionally.
