When a laminate flooring gets flooded by the leakage from a refrigerator, dishwasher or washing machine it may cause permanent damage to the flooring. Other than these, any standing water can penetrate beneath the boards through open edges and make the floor to swell, buckle and bubble. The good news about laminate flooring is that you should not replace the floor entirely unless the issue comes from the subfloor. You have the option of replacing only damaged planks with a new one. This is not the same with types of flooring such as carpet. Here is a step by step guide for how to fix a water damaged laminate flooring:
1. Stop the Leak
The first thing you should do is to find the source of leaking or flooding and stop it. You don’t want the flooring gets damage in the future. So, you should delay the laminate floor repairing job until you are sure that the source of damage is ended. The leakage may be originated from a dripped appliance like a refrigerator or washing machine. You have to get it fixed before you can start repairing. The leakage can also come from a broken pipe somewhere inside home walls or under the subfloor. In this case, the best solution is to turn off the water supply immediately and ask a professional for help. up to prevent water damage over time wipe any spills on laminate flooring as they happen.
2. Inspect and mark damaged planks
You should walk through each individual planks and check for any symptoms of damage. Look for wrapping, cracking, bubbles, splitting or buckling. Push the board to see if they are popping out of the floor. Be skeptical when inspecting floorboard. Even if a small part of a plank is affected by water, the whole tile will need to be replaced. When water penetrates the floor and left untreated for a long time, mold can grow in floorboards. As a result, tiles can change color giving the floor an unpalatable view. You should keep eyes on the floor to detect any discolored planks and replace them as soon as possible. Mark affected plank with a marker pen or sticky note according to damage level. This helps you to take appropriate measures later.
3. Remove damaged floorboards
Pry up a damaged plank by running a putty knife under the edges. If you don’t have a putty knife you can use a butter knife instead. throw away affected boards as they pop up. If a part of the floorboard is waterlogged you should get rid of the whole unit. As dust and dirt can get into your eyes while removing the plank, always wear a protective eye gear during this step. Next, remove baseboard under the tile to inspect any dust and mold. Use a broom and dustpan to sweep underneath the planks. Then dry the floor by a piece of cloth. You can also use a dry-wet vacuum for that. If you removed a floorboard and didn’t notice any damage, reinstall the planks back into the floor.
4. Install new floorboards
Unless you bought and stored extra planks when your floor was installed, getting the exact match may be a hard task. Your best bet is to go to laminate floor dealer installed your flooring and ask them for suitable floor tiles. If you can’t find any planks that look like your floor ones, you should find at least a nicely balanced replacement. In this case, sometimes it is better to replace the whole flooring. Once you purchased new floorboard put them carefully next to the original planks. Leave enough space between planks to apply flooring adhesive. Finally, stick boards with a flooring adhesive. A small amount of flooring adhesive should be enough. To prevent planks from moving you can put a heavy object such a bookcase or couch on the planks. Let the heavy object sit on the floor for a few hours until the recently installed board dried.
A water damaged laminate flooring cannot be fixed. Your best bet is to replace affected floorboards. To fix a water damaged laminate flooring you should locate and stop the source of leakage as soon as possible. Afterward, you can replace damaged planks with the new ones. Don’t forget that the best way to maintain laminate flooring is wiping spills as it occurs.
References
1- https://www.thespruce.com/can-you-get-laminate-flooring-wet-1822254 2- https://www.hunker.com/12612309/will-a-hair-dryer-fix-swollen-laminate-flooring 3- https://www.wikihow.com/Repair-Laminate-Flooring-with-Water-Damage 4- https://www.titan911.com/how-to-fix-laminate-floor-water-damage/ 5- https://www.watermoldfire.net/laminate-floor-water-damage-repair/ 6- https://www.mikescarpets.com.au/flooring-related-news-articles/repairing-the-water-damage-to-laminate-floors-an-easy-guideline.html