Considering the appealing look, amazing durability factor, and overall functionality, there’s no doubt laminate flooring has become well known in recent times. Even with a minimal maintenance regime, you can easily keep up with laminate flooring thanks to its design.
However, one thing can cause a pretty concerning effect on laminate flooring if it comes in contact. And that is water. These two have a very complicated relationship, so you should do your best to keep them away from each other. Today we will guide you through how to repair laminate flooring water damage.
Everything About How to Repair Laminate Flooring Water Damage
Because this floor comes with wood material in it, water damage is quite susceptible to happen. Now you probably are asking, what happens if I spill water on my laminate flooring? We are not targeting occasional spills, since the laminate floor can withstand those pretty well. But the situation where your floor seems to supersaturate with water. To the extent that the floor starts absorbing that moisture. That’s when things become terrifying
Since the laminate material composition starts breaking down because of that. So maybe when you spilled, there will be no visible damage. But if your floor goes through frequent wet mopping, liquid spills, and plumbing leaks, then prepare to pay the price with damage. You will figure it out in long run. Once you see that there are buckling and awkward bents noticeable in some planks, know that it’s a clear sign that your flooring is suffering from water damage.
Let’s find out how to repair laminate flooring water damage and recover it as much as possible.
Figure Out If There’s Any Leak to Stop It
Sometimes the underneath of your laminate flooring faces a leaking pipe that causes huge trouble. This leads to a flood situation. Unless you spill a lot of water again and again on one spot, there’s a low chance of that area getting any damage easily. But if it is about standing water then the damage is going to be pretty significant.
You need to start by checking for leaks on the floor. You should also have a look at the nearby appliances. In case the area is close to water-related appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers, then check it first. There’s a good chance of finding a leak in that place.
Give a check to the toilets and underneath pipes as well. In case you are not finding any leak, then asking for professional help might be the only solution. Because that unfound leak can cause serious consequences. However, if you do find it, then start by stopping that leak. After that, you can go ahead with the repair steps.
Get Your Preparing Tools Ready
To work on the repair, you will need a few tools specifically. Usually, these should be available in your space. You need flooring adhesive, putty knife, cleaning solvent, and the new underlayment replacement material to buy for the most. And the other things such as safety glasses, measuring tape, pliers, utility knife, putty knife, hammer, and so on should be existing at your house.
Also, you may need the new laminate planks in case of replacement. Those should match the floor design, so you better prepare earlier. Usually finding similar old laminate planks become difficult. In that case, you should revisit the store from where you bought the old ones.
Get Rid of The Planks That Are Damaged
As soon as you gather all the necessary stuff, time to remove planks with damage. You need to determine all the areas that have problematic laminate planks. Pull the planks very carefully. Use the putty knife to work on edges that have trouble.
Even if you think that a tiny part of a plank is problematic, it’s important to get rid of the whole plank. Because leaving it that way will sooner or later make it worse. You want to generously pull out the entire plank so that floor beneath is completely visible. Look onto the bare floor and see if there’s any mold or unnecessary stuff. You need to clean it out before installing the new planks.
Replacing the Damaged Planks with New Ones
This is the main part you need to focus on most to fix laminate floor water damage. Start putting the laminate planks and use some adhesive to stick them well. Make sure you use some sort of heavy items to place over the newly installed laminate. Leave the entire thing for at least a couple of hours. This is to let the glue or adhesive dry completely.
What to Do with The Water on Top of Flooring?
If due to spilled water on the laminate floor, and only the top part is wet, then the whole situation is still under control. You need to mop the water as quickly as possible. Don’t allow the water to penetrate into seams of laminate. In case the water has already gone into the edge’s areas or open seams, then vacuuming is necessary. Extract the water carefully and take your time to get it completely dry.
Wrap Up
And that was all about how to repair laminate flooring water damage. It’s definitely a panic-inducing situation when your flooring is barely new. But, with proper carefulness and a bit of understanding of how laminate floorings work, you should be able to keep things from being damaged long term.
If you read the above guide and end up having an accident and water ends up all over the laminate floor – you now know how to take action to get things back in shape.
You don’t need to install the whole flooring again. But taking care of the part that already has damage is absolutely necessary. So, if that’s the demanding situation in your house, don’t ignore it and bring unwanted problems later on.
