Tips to get your laminate flooring back to its best when it is water damaged
People choose laminate flooring for a variety of reasons. A laminate floor is beautiful, luxurious, and hard-wearing. It’s easy to maintain and keep clean. It’s also water resistant. But this doesn’t mean that it can’t get damaged. Usually, it’s easy to keep your laminate floor looking like new, but if it gets really wet, like in a flood, things become a little more difficult.
In this article, you’ll learn how to fix laminate floor water damage.
What happens when laminate flooring gets really wet?
A little water or other liquid can be dealt with easily. Small spills and stains don’t need to be a problem, providing you follow the steps to keep your laminate floor looking like new. If your floor gets soaked, however, it can warp and swell. It’s then that you’ll need to make repairs.
How do you know that your laminate floor is damaged?
There are a few telltale signs that your floor is water damaged. These include:
- Splitting
- Cracking
- Swelling
- Crowning
- Cupping
If water damage has caused any of these problems, you will probably need to replace the flooring to fix the damage. Fortunately, you won’t have to replace all of it.
Before you start to fix your water damaged laminate flooring, do this
Before you attempt a repair, you should speak to a professional. If you are in the NJ area, give Porter's Cleaning a call. We’ll send a technician round to assess the damage. We’ll let you know the full extent of the damage, and what needs to be done to fix it. We’ll also give you a free, no obligation quote.
If you decide to make the repair yourself, here is what you should do:
1. First, locate and stop the leak
Usually, flooding is caused by a leak. This may be from a sink, but is more likely to be from a burst pipe. You’ll need to locate the leak and fix this before repairing your floor. If you don’t, then all your hard work will be wasted when your repair or replacement becomes similarly water damaged.
2. Pinpoint which laminate planks are damaged
With the leak fixed, figure out which planks are so badly damaged that they need replacing.
3. Remove the damaged flooring
Remove the damaged planks, taking care not to damage any of the sound flooring surrounding them.
4. Tackle one plank at a time
Don’t rush plank removal. Take out one at a time, to avoid unnecessary extra damage.
5. Clean beneath the floor
Clean the floor space underneath the planks thoroughly. You may need to allow some extra drying time, to make sure there is no moisture remaining.
6. Replace the planks you have removed
It can be difficult to replace damaged laminate planks. Patterns, especially on older flooring, can be hard to match. When we wish to match flooring for a customer, we will use a company like Mannington, who hold a huge range of laminate flooring. This gives us the best chance of making a seamless repair, using quality materials.
BONUS TIP!
Always get professional advice. A professional will help you identify all the damage that the water has caused. They will notice issues you won’t even think of. Discovering all the problems and damage is essential. If you miss any damage, it could prove very expensive in the future.
If you have a laminate floor with the symptoms of water damage, don’t hesitate to contact Porter's. We’ll bring our expertise and experience to the table, and help you return your laminate floor to its previous best.