Laminate today firmly holds the leading positionpositions among floor coverings. Being a relatively inexpensive material, it meets all European quality standards. But no matter how high-quality the material is, the floor laid from it can suffer damage of varying degrees during operation.
Laminate construction. And then the owners are faced with a truly Hamlet question - how to repair the laminate.
The main sex defects and their causes
There are not so many defects that spoil the appearance of the floor covering and require immediate elimination. They can be divided into several groups:
- stains;
- scratches and chips;
- uneven sex;
- gaps between the panels;
- swelling of the laminate;
- damage to panel interlock locks.
To be able to repair the floor yourself, you need to understand the reasons for these defects.
To remove stains from laminate flooring, you can oftenIt is enough to wipe the floor with a damp cloth, in other cases you will need cleaning agents. Stains on the laminate can appear for various reasons: from stains of ordinary dirt to chemical contaminants. But they all equally spoil the appearance of the floor. Since the laminate is processed in industrial conditions with compounds to protect the material from deep contamination, then to get rid of most of them, it is enough to wipe the floor with a damp cloth. But there are also those that require serious effort to remove. Scratches are most often the result of having pets in the house, which scratch the surface of the floor with their claws. They can also appear from contact with metal heels on shoes. Chips most often appear from heavy sharp objects falling on the surface, such as an iron. Uneven floors and gaps between panels most often appear due to poorly leveled base or poor-quality underlay. Another reason may be the lack of expansion gaps between the floor and the wall. Swelling of the laminate occurs from absorbing excessive amounts of moisture. The reasons for this can be different - from an accidentally broken aquarium with fish to flooding the apartment by the neighbors from above. Damage to the connecting locks - the most unpleasant and difficult breakdown. In this case, it will not be possible to limit yourself to a simple repair, the damaged slats will have to be replaced. Return to the table of contents</a>
Elimination of stains
Tools and materials for stain removal:cleaning agent, rag, brush, vacuum cleaner with a washing attachment. Paint stains or varnish splashes that landed on the floor during renovation can be removed with acetone. You can also use paint thinner, but be careful - having removed the paint or varnish, you can "plant" a stain in its place from the solvent. Rubber heels on shoes leave their marks on almost any surface. To get rid of them on laminate, just rub the black mark with an ordinary eraser. A regular toothbrush (just not too hard) will do to remove nail polish stains from the floor surface. It is slightly moistened with water, the stains are sprinkled with a pinch of washing powder, and then cleaned off with a damp brush. Grease that has landed on the laminate surface should be allowed to cool, after which it can be scraped off, and the contaminated area can be treated with an ordinary sponge and dishwashing liquid. The most unpleasant stains are those from spilled concentrated acid. They are practically impossible to remove, and the only way to repair the floor in this case is to replace the damaged panels. Return to contents</a>
Eliminating scratches and chips
Scratches left by pet clawspets, are usually superficial, and their removal does not cause problems. They are removed with a wax pencil specially designed for such cases. Having chosen a pencil to match the color of the laminate, you just need to draw it over the scratch, filling it with wax, and finally wipe it with a clean flannel rag. But, leaving animals in the apartment, you will not get rid of the cause of the scratches.
To seal cracks and chips you will needwax pencil of a suitable color. You can repair a chip on the laminate using a special kit for such repairs. Before repairing the chip, you need to thoroughly clean and degrease the damaged area of the panel. Then, glue masking tape around its perimeter. Squeeze the white repair mixture onto the tape. Then, following the instructions attached to the repair kit, add a certain amount of one or more pigments to the mixture from the jars included in the kit, and mix everything thoroughly until the desired color is achieved. Fill the chip on the laminate with the resulting mixture. Then remove the adhesive tape and clean the area around the repaired area. You can safely walk on the floor 1 hour after the repair is completed. It should be noted that the cost of such repair kits is quite high. But by purchasing it, you will remain a winner, since replacing damaged panels will cost more. Return to contents</a>
Unevennesses and cracks in the floor, swelling of the laminate
This type of repair is much more serious, therefore it requires much more time, effort and money. To perform such repairs, you will need the following tools:
- Bulgarian;
- chisel;
- a hammer;
- a vacuum cleaner.
The easiest way to eliminate warping of the floordue to the lack of expansion gaps. In this case, it is enough to carefully dismantle the baseboards, and then use a grinder to cut the panels located near the walls. In 3-4 days, the deformed floor will be leveled. Replacing an individual panel is a more labor-intensive task, but quite feasible. First, you need to cut off the outer part of the panel lock with a grinder. Then the panel with the sawed off lock is pried up with a chisel and removed from the floor. The locks of adjacent panels must be thoroughly cleaned of debris and dust, treating them with a vacuum cleaner. The most difficult thing in such repairs is to find a replacement panel of a suitable color. Most often, this does not work, and then another panel is carefully removed from the floor near the wall where the wardrobe or sofa is located and inserted in place of the damaged one. And the purchased panel is installed near the wall. Even if it is noticeably different in color - no big deal, it will still be practically invisible. More serious defects require complete dismantling of the floor to eliminate their cause, and only then re-installation of the panels. This is a troublesome and expensive task, so it is better to take the preparation of the base and high-quality installation of the laminate seriously from the very beginning. In this case, you have a very good chance of getting by with only minor cosmetic repairs throughout the entire period of use of the floor.</ ul> </ ul>
