How To Repair Scratches In Laminate Flooring

The popularity of laminate flooring rests on its affordability and durability. Since information technology is less expensive than genuine hardwood floor to buy, install and maintain, laminate flooring has become an affordable alternative since Pergo introduced it decades agone.

On the downside, laminate flooring can scratch and scrape easily, especially compared to flooring made of material similar tile or hardwood. The surface of laminate flooring cannot exist sanded, so scratched or scraped laminate flooring has to exist repaired with wax or putty. Information technology may even need to be replaced.

Pro Tip: Buy an extra box of laminate for replacing damaged planks that cannot be repaired.

Before starting laminate floor repair, vacuum, sweep, and mop the flooring with warm h2o and mild detergent. Wait for the floor to dry or dry it with a clean material for a faster start.

Pro Tip: Dry out the flooring with the clean textile under your foot to save article of clothing and tear on your back.

Identify the type of damage on the surface of your laminate floor and then follow the relevant guide beneath:

Minor Scratch Repair

"Pocket-sized" scratches characteristically are shallow, cover little surface area and are few in number. Apply wax pencils to fill the scratches, carefully matching the color of the floor. Deeper filler makes a darker repair, and so apply the filler sparingly at first. When the scratches seem to be filled with enough wax, blend the remaining wax into the surface of the laminate with the tip of the wax pencil. Use a soft fabric to gently buff the edges of the repair and shine out the wax filler.

To exist certain all scratches are entirely filled, rub the tip of the wax pencil across the scratch at different angles; short strokes along the scratches also work well. Then wipe upwardly the excess beyond the edges of the repair.

Pocket-sized Scrape Repair

"Minor" scrapes are broader than scratches and don't penetrate through to the design layer – the photographic image. If you have a broad and deep scrape, you likely need a new plank (See Major Scrape Repair below)

Wax pencils don't comprise plenty fabric to repair scrapes, so flooring repair putty is used.

Match the color of the putty to the color of the laminate floor according to repair kit instructions. Be sure to add together putty dye just a few drops at a time. Don't worry, the kit yous buy volition fully explain this step.

Spread the color-matched putty beyond the scrapes with a putty pocketknife or similar tool. Printing the putty across the scrapes at several dissimilar angles to make sure the scrapes are completely filled. Scrape a clean edge of the putty knife beyond the flooring repair and the area around it to remove backlog putty and create an even repair. If you've repaired drywall dings and dents with spackling, then the technique is the same.

Pro Tip: It will take a day for the putty to harden into a permanent repair.

Major Scrape Repair

A laminate floor has "major" scrapes if the laminate floorboard is extremely scratched, perchance over large portions of the flooring, or has scrapes that completely penetrate the peak surface of the laminate floor. Wax and putty are inadequate to repair major scrapes. The damaged laminate floorboard must be replaced.

Buy a matching laminate floorboard, if yous don't have a spare. Using a prybar, remove the baseboard at the wall closest to the floorboard being replaced. Pull floorboards upwards until the damaged floorboard is exposed. Remove the damaged floorboard, and supercede information technology with the new ane. Replace undamaged floorboards. Supercede the baseboard.

Pro Tip: Number or photograph the baseboard pieces for easy and accurate replacement.

Color Matching

Laminate flooring with visible repairs is not much of an comeback. Repairs should be unnoticeable, and so an important part of whatever laminate flooring scratch repair is to friction match the color of the laminate floor with the repair material.

Laminate flooring manufacturers make floor repair kits. Getting the right kit from the manufacturer makes specific color matching reliable. Laminate flooring repair kits normally include wax pencils, colored putty, a putty knife or similar tool, and detailed colour-matching instructions.

If y'all don't know what manufacturer made the flooring, take a sample plank portion to the hardware store; purchase a laminate flooring Do It Yourself (DIY) repair kit matching the sample color equally closely equally possible. And then get prepare to mix custom putty colors.

Pro Tip: Wax pencils and floor repair putty are often used on woods and laminate. If you tin't find a laminate-specific product, cheque for ones produced for wood.

Follow all repair kit instructions carefully.

Summary of Supplies

If you are post-obit our step by step instructions above then you lot will need some or all of these supplies to fix scratches on laminate floor.

A – Vacuum, broom, dustpan, mop/bucket/detergent

B – Commercial repair kit

C – Wax pencils (or markers)

D – Putty

East – Putty knife

F – Soft cloth

G – Prybar

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