These simple steps can get your laminate floor back into action
A favorite of those with children and pets and a common feature in busy commercial spaces, laminate wood flooring is built to stand up to heavy use. While laminate fares particularly well against spills compared to other types of flooring, it’s no less susceptible to water damage from heavy leakage or moisture if it’s left to stand long enough. When this happens, it may be time to roll up your sleeves. This guide will show you how to repair laminate flooring water damage.
When enough water seeps into the laminate to damage the wood, you may notice signs of water damage throughout your floor. This includes buckling planks, bubbling or cracking in the surface of the laminate, and the appearance of mold. You cannot repair laminate flooring planks that have suffered this kind of damage, but you can individually replace them.
Before you begin, make sure you purchase replacement planks that match your existing flooring. Keep in mind that coloring may slightly differ if your floors have worn over time.
Water damage can cause serious problems for flooring, such as warping, staining, and mold growth. If you suspect water damage is an issue, a flooring pro can diagnose the cause, make necessary repairs, and restore the integrity of your floor.
The most important thing is to stop the source of the damage as soon as possible so it doesn’t warp more of your flooring. If you have a burst pipe pouring water onto your floor, turn off the water at the main line and call an emergency plumber near you. If the water damage is from a slow leak or a poor seal around a window, you may be able to DIY a fix.
Whatever the cause, if you don’t fix the problem, you’ll quickly find yourself back at square one.
It’s also important to determine the category of water damage. Dealing with clean water is one thing, but there are health risks if you’re dealing with gray water or black water.
The longer water sits on your laminate flooring, the more likely it is to further damage the planks. You want to prevent the water from seeping down and warping the subfloor or attracting mold.
Before you start your replacement, clean and dry the water-damaged flooring. To get rid of as much moisture as possible, run a dehumidifier and fan for 24 to 48 hours.
Once you have neutralized the source of the water damage, inspect the whole floor, searching closely for all signs of damage. Once water penetrates the laminate surface of your floor, it can move through wood quickly, creating extensive damage that can continue to spread if not properly treated. Work slowly and thoroughly for all symptoms of water damage.
Look for discoloration, bubbling, signs of mold, and cracks, as well as buckling or misshapen boards. Use sticky notes or cloth tape to mark the spots that require attention. If there are signs of more extensive mold damage affecting the whole floor, stop and contact a mold remediation specialist before proceeding.
After doing a visual survey, step on each potentially damaged board, feeling for any movement or changes to the shape. Any board showing these signs must be marked for replacement.
Remove baseboards, thresholds, and molding by gently prying them away using a pry bar. Take care not to damage them during removal, as you'll need to reinstall them later. In case of water damage, consider replacing them for a complete restoration.
Clear the area of any furniture and rugs so you can access the flooring.
Wear safety glasses as you begin removing damaged laminate planks. Unlike traditional flooring fastened with glue or nails, laminate wood planks feature an interlocking system of tongues and grooves. Warped or buckled planks are typically easy to detach by hand.
Start by working on planks nearest to the wall's edge, as they are more accessible without risking damage to the rest of your floor. Locate the groove edge on the outermost plank and gently lift or pry to disengage the lock, then proceed to the next one. If a plank proves stubbornly secured, employ a putty knife or butcher knife to slide underneath and assist in prying it loose.
In some cases, you may need to remove undamaged planks to access and unlock those that are damaged. Set these aside for reinstallation at a later stage of the repair process.
If you need to remove damaged planks in the center of your floor, you can either remove the surrounding planks until you reach the damage or loosen the damaged plank with a drill and circular saw. Only do the latter if you have carpentry experience.
Use a pencil and a straightedge to draw a 1 1/2-inch line diagonally from each corner of the plank toward the center. Connect the inner ends of the line to draw a rectangle around the plank’s perimeter. This is your cutting line.
Drill relief holes at all four corners of the cutting line. Make four more relief holes at 1/4-inch from the outer edges of the plank. You should have eight holes in total.
Set the depth of your circular saw slightly deeper than the depth of your plank (but not so deep that it damages anything below). Cut along the rectangular cutting guide, going from inner relief hole to inner relief hole. Once you’ve cut out the rectangle, remove the center of the plank.
From here, cut from the inner corner (where you popped out your cutout) to the outer relief holes. Do not go any further to avoid damage to the surrounding planks. You may need to make additional relief cuts along the sections of the plank. Pry up the edge pieces where they connect to the neighboring board, and remove any existing glue on the tongue with your putty knife.
With this method, you may need to remove the tongues and grooves on your replacement board with a utility knife before it will fit into the floor. You’ll also need to glue the edges of the plank to secure it in place (since it won’t have any grooves to lock it in place).
Discard all damaged planks. Hopefully, you will have saved some extra planks from the installation for situations like this. If not, you may have to do a bit of work to find pieces that match.
Start with the company that sold you or manufactured the plans for your initial installation, or try searching online. If you can’t find an exact match, some minor variation in appearance shouldn’t affect the overall appearance of your flooring, so long as the pieces fit into the locking system of the older planks. When in doubt, bring one of the damaged planks to a local home improvement store and let them help you find the closest match.
As when the laminate wood was first installed, you will need to acclimate any newly purchased planks to your home before installing them. Let the new planks sit in the area where you will install them for two to three days before proceeding so that the porous wood can expand or contract as needed to adjust to the room’s humidity and temperature.
Starting with the area that’s furthest from the wall, fit the first replacement plank. Depending on the locking system of your laminate wood, either click the plank into place or fit the tongue of the replacement plank into the groove of the exposed floorboard, like a puzzle piece.
If there is too much friction to snap the tongue into the groove by hand easily, line them up, and place one of the damaged boards at the other end of the plank you’re fitting. Tap lightly with a hammer until the healthy plank is fitted securely into the floorboard. Working backward from the order in which you removed them, replace each damaged plank with a new one, and reinstall all undamaged planks.
If you had to remove any baseboards, thresholds, or molding from the edges of the floor, line them back up in the order that you removed them. Take your new finishing nails and line them up with the existing holes, gently tacking each into place with a hammer.
The most significant signs of water-damaged laminate flooring include swelling, warping, cupping, bubbling, and gaps between planks. Water exposure can cause floorboards to buckle, lift, and feel uneven underfoot. Additional signs include discoloration and musty odors. The latter indicates trapped moisture leading to mold, causing a respiratory hazard in your abode.
Homeowners can expect laminate floor repair costs to range from $395 to $2,110, depending on the extent of the damage and labor costs in your area.
For instance, repairing bubbling, an indicator of water damage, can range from $3 to $11 per square foot, not including the cost of new tiles or planks. Cupping is another moisture-related issue that requires replacing damaged sections. On average, your total out-of-pocket cost can land in the $250 to $750 range.
Compared to repairing hardwood floors, laminate floor repair is DIY-friendly. You can simply remove planks until you reach the damaged one, replace it, and then click the planks back in place. That said, once you start involving carpentry, there’s much more room for error. Before you bring out a circular saw, consider hiring a floor repair company near you. This is especially important if you have significant water damage that may have compromised the subfloor or joists. For most homeowners, laminate flooring repairs cost $400 to $2,050. If you do the job DIY, you’ll pay about $1 to $3 per square foot for replacement planks.
You can replace individual planks of laminate flooring. You’ll have to start at the edges, removing the surrounding planks until you reach the damaged plank. Gently lift or pry to release the lock and remove the old plank, then replace it with a new plank. After that, you can reinstall the undamaged planks, locking them into place, starting with the planks surrounding the new plank and moving toward the edge of the room.
To repair swollen laminate flooring, dry the area entirely using fans, dehumidifiers, and open windows in low-humidity conditions. Next, place heavy items on swollen boards to flatten them. To prevent additional swelling, ensure you address any moisture-related issues in the room.
Laminate flooring generally isn’t waterproof, but you can purchase specialized waterproof laminate planks. These planks are 100% impervious to water—but that doesn’t mean your floor is totally waterproof. Water can still seep below the seams and damage your subfloor. Beyond that, waterproof laminate flooring is a specialized product that’s not as widely available as traditional laminate. If you want a waterproof floor, you may want to try LVP (luxury vinyl planks) instead.
Mold can begin to grow in as little as 12 to 24 hours if the water is from an untreated source, such as a groundwater floor or a sewage backup. If the water is clean, mold growth begins in about 24 hours. Because mold and mildew can cause a range of health issues, make sure you clean up any water damage as soon as possible.
Determining whether to repair or replace water-damaged laminate flooring depends on the severity of the water damage. A minor spill or leak that’s easily cleaned up shouldn’t do major damage; repairing the section of affected flooring should be manageable, especially if you have some leftover floorboards from when the floor was installed. But if the entire floor was covered in standing water—particularly gray water or black water—it may make more sense to replace it. The cost to install new laminate flooring runs between $1,475 and $4,650.
