How To Repair Swollen Laminate Flooring Without Replacing – While laminate flooring is known for its durability, attractiveness, and affordability, excessive exposure to water and moisture can cause bubbling, which eventually leads to swelling.
So, can swollen laminate flooring be repaired? When attempting to repair swollen laminate flooring, you must first inspect the affected area to determine the root cause.
Then, before removing the laminate board, you’ll remove the wall molding, replace the swollen planks with new ones, and leave a large enough expansion gap when reinstalling.
How To Repair Swollen Laminate Flooring Without Replacing
If you want to learn more about how to repair swollen laminate flooring without replacing, you’ve come to the right place. Continue reading to learn about the steps to take when repairing laminate flooring and how to extend the life of this durable but somewhat delicate flooring.
Steps to Take When Repairing Laminate Flooring
Generally speaking, laminate flooring shouldn’t be too difficult to repair, especially if the damage isn’t harsh. Here are a few important steps to take when attempting to repair swollen laminate flooring.
Perform a thorough floor inspection
The first thing you should do is conduct a thorough inspection of the affected area. It could be too much moisture from a leaking pipe, flooding due to a faulty-appliances such as washing machines, or even an issue with the expansion gap.
In any case, you’ll need to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible. A thorough inspection allows you to determine which boards require repair. Remain aware of any boards that are bubbled or warped and do not fit evenly.
Mark the damaged areas with a sticky note, a marker pen, or a colored piece of tape.If you are new to installing and maintaining laminate floors, consider hiring a professional to inspect the flooring.
Take down the wall molding and the laminate board.
To remove the laminate boards, gently pull the floorboards away from the connecting board’s locking mechanism. If the swelling was caused by insufficient expansion gaps, the problem can be easily resolved by lowering the overall tension.
As a result, if the gap between the wall and the board is less than 14 inches, you may want to increase it to at least 14- 12 inches. To increase the expansion gap, take a sharp utility knife and cut (accurately) the board close to the wall.
Read More: How To Get Scratches Out Of Glass Window
Replace the severely damaged laminate
After removing the faulty laminate boards, it’s time to replace them. Replace with similar laminate boards, preferably from the same manufacturer, if possible. You can begin the replacement process once you have the replacement laminate on hand.
Replace the damaged laminate floorboard with the new one. Take extra care when inserting the tongue of the replacement laminate board into the groove of the adjacent board.
While it is not necessary to remove unaffected boards, you can choose to replace any that appear peaked or weakly connected to ensure a thorough repair. After you’ve finished clicking the new laminate boards into place, inspect the flooring for any other problems.
Read More: How to Fix a Hole in Drywall Without a Patch
Please keep in mind that swelling may occur in glued down laminate flooring as the boards absorb the water content of the glue. The swelling, on the other hand, is usually temporary and disappears within three to four weeks.
Those are the steps on how to repair swollen laminate flooring without replacing. the steps are pretty simple and easy to follow. However, if you face bigger and more severe damages, please call a professional to repair it. Good luck on attempting to repair swollen laminate flooring.