How to Remove a Bad Piece of Laminate Flooring 

What makes laminated floors a popular type of flooring material is their durability and style that resembles real wood flooring. But no matter how prudent you are in maintaining its quality, accidental spills, floor scratches, water damage, and natural wear-and-tear can still happen. 

So how can you repair damaged laminate planks and remove broken laminate pieces? The good thing about laminate wood flooring is that it’s easy to repair on your own. There are available laminate wood floor repair kits that can be purchased to fix scratches on the floor surface. For wet laminate floors or planks that show signs of buckling, you can remove them and install a replacement plank and baseboard to make it look good as new. 

Signs Of Damaged Laminate Flooring At Home And How To Remove Them

Although laminate flooring is one of the best flooring types that are water resistant and long-lasting, it’s not completely immune to flaws, dents, scratches, and other damages. Like all flooring materials, there comes a time when you have to replace a damaged plank or clean a floor stain from the laminate board. 

But here’s the thing: a simple scratch doesn’t always mean you have to renovate the entire laminate floor in your home. Fixing or replacing a laminate floor will usually depend on the type of problem that you currently have. Here are the common laminate floor issues and how you can solve them on your own:

1. Damages on the floor surface such as cracks and scratches 

Laminate flooring has a protective wear layer that minimizes damage from cracks, nicks, and scratches. If you’re frequently moving heavy furniture without felt pads or walking on the floor with pointy shoes and high heels, it’s really common that your flooring will get worn out and lose its surface finish. 

When these floor imperfections happen, there’s a floor repair kit that you can buy from your local hardware supply store. There are different kits available in different colors and styles so you can select the one which is closest to your laminate wood floor.

Before using the kit and cleaning solution to fix the surface damages, you have to make sure that the laminate floor plank is dry and free from dirt. You can use a microfiber cloth over the surface that will be repaired. Use a chisel to sand off the surface edge and make it look smooth before waxing the floor. The kit will usually have a heating tool that you can use to take the wax and put it in the damaged laminate.

You can also use a wax pencil to cover the gaps and holes in the floor. Clear any excess glue or wax and wipe the surface with a dry soft cloth to make sure the repair blends with the coloring of the floor. 

2. Bubbling or swollen laminate flooring boards

When water spills are not immediately cleaned on the floor, this can seep through the moisture barrier and cause a swollen laminate floor problem. One way to fix this issue without buying new laminate flooring boards is to cut open the bubbling area with a knife. You can then squeeze a bit of wood glue and press on the surface to flatten it down. 

If you want to place a new laminate floorboard, you have to remove the moldings to unlock the planks. Find the damaged laminate floor and disconnect the tongue from the end groove of the adjoining plank. Once you’ve pulled it out, you can simply place the replacement board into its position and secure it with wood glue. 

3. Buckling floor or uneven surfaces

Buckling floor is different from swollen laminate flooring because it’s an issue where the floorboards rise and cause the surface to expand and create humps in the middle. This can lead to floor expansions and gaps that may ultimately change the shape of the laminate floor. 

This problem is usually caused by the lack of a sufficient moisture barrier that makes the laminate floor surfaces easily damaged by moisture issues, water leaks, and temperature changes. Poor product construction or improper installation may also lead to buckling laminate floor issues. 

The best way to solve a buckling problem is to uninstall the damaged planks and replace them with new ones. When you’re installing the replacement plank, make sure to place them evenly on the subfloor and floor joists and leave a proper expansion gap so moisture will not build up in the spaces. 

4. Laminate planks have spaces between each other 

When you notice laminate flooring seemingly displaced or moving from their position, this can be an issue of flooring gap. It can happen due to moisture levels in the room, bad laminate installation, or when the floorboards have not yet been acclimated after installation.  

To fix flooring gap problems, you can buy a floor gap fixer that can help seal and close the gaps in the floating floor. A floor gap fixer kit usually contains a block with an adhesive that will be used to bind the floor from one end to another. The procedure is simple and will require that you place the block tool on the plank, then you will move and hit it with a mallet to put it in its proper position. 

Tips to Maintain and Clean Laminate Floors  

To prevent serious flooring issues and laminate damages, here are some reminders that can help retain the quality of your home flooring: 

• Ensure proper floor installation by having flooring experts do the work for you. You should also make sure to use high-quality laminate wood floors to avoid early signs of daily wear and tear. 
• Use microfiber mop or soft-bristle brooms to regularly clean and sweep the entire floor. You can also use a vacuum cleaner but make sure it has a soft brush or microfiber pad feature to avoid damaging the floor surface. 
• When removing stains from laminate floors, don’t use abrasive cleaners, oil-based solutions, and strong bleaches. They may leave stains and peel off the protective layers of the floor. Always read the label and follow instructions of the cleaning products and make sure that they’re designed for suitable flooring. 
• Even though it's tempting to use floor wax or polishing products to retain the shine and color of your laminate flooring, avoid using them since it can cause a sticky floor surface and can dull the finishing of the laminate tiles. Laminate floors already have a shiny finish so you can just maintain it by wiping with a damp cloth. 
• Place floor mats and carpets to protect the surface of the floor. It’s a good idea to put felt pads on the foot of furniture or any heavy object to prevent it from scratching the laminate floor.  

Let The Licensed Flooring Experts at Zothex Flooring Fix Your Flooring Problem

Home flooring issues like floor gaps, bubbling, and minor scratches can be a huge concern for homeowners. Although DIY repair is possible, contacting a team of home flooring professionals is always the best solution to ensure that your floor problem gets fixed properly. 

Zothex Flooring is a family-owned business that provides quality products, installation, and repair services for your home flooring needs. We can help you choose the best type of flooring for your home from our wide selection of products such as laminate flooring, solid hardwood flooring, engineered wood flooring, vinyl plank flooring, luxury vinyl plank, and more. Call us today and our Zothex Flooring team will help you find the right flooring for your home.