How to fix scratches on a laminate in an apartment?

From furniture, the fall of something heavy or sharp, or for some other reason, there were sloppy scratches on the laminate? No problem! As a rule, at home they can easily be eliminated, or at least made much less noticeable.

Prevention

The best way to deal with laminate damage is to prevent it from occurring. Scratches on the laminate flooring come from the mechanical action of sharp objects, whether it be hard shoes, furniture legs, a knife falling from the table, or something similar. Accordingly, it is important to prevent or at least minimize this impact.

1. It is recommended not to walk on the laminate in dirty shoes and regularly vacuum and mop the floors (as it is scratched not only by sharp objects, but even fine sand-like dirt).
2. Ladies should refuse to walk on the floor in sharp thin heels. If you really need to be in elegant shoes, you can always pick up something less harmful to the flooring and, moreover, more stable.
3. On the legs of the furniture (especially massive) it is better to make soft linings from felt, felt or similar material. In inconspicuous places, you can completely limit yourself to laying pieces of linoleum or, for example, an old rug.
4. With a large passability of the room (frequent walking of a large number of people), it is worth choosing a laminate resistant to such intense exposure and, if possible, additionally protecting it with carpet laying.
5. Do not use abrasive detergents or excessively hard brushes during cleaning.
6. Under often moved furniture (light cabinets, office chairs, etc.), it is worth putting practically invisible transparent polymer mats or using soft rubber rollers.
7. Wax pencil should always be kept at hand to remove scratches immediately and prevent them from increasing.

Remember that preventing damage to the laminate is easier than thinking about how to restore it.

How to remove scratches on a laminate?

The technologies for manufacturing a laminated coating and applying a color pattern to it may be different. But in the matter of repair work this almost never plays a role: how and with what to cover scratches on the laminate depends mainly only on the size of the damage.

Tip

Tiny scuffs that have not yet turned into complete scratches and are invisible to the eye, but feel to the touch, can be tinted with a color marker, as well as varnish or enamel on a wood of a suitable shade. Varnish is also useful as a finishing protective layer for more serious repairs.

Wax pencil

This method is well suited for small damage both in depth and in length of the floor covering. Ordinary wax pencils (or crayons) can be found in almost any office supply and creative goods store, and specialized compositions for woodwork can be found in specialized stores. The color gamut of such funds is quite extensive, so even with an exotic version of the laminate it will be possible to choose something suitable.

All that needs to be done before removing the scratch in this way is to wipe off the dust and degrease the repaired area of ​​the floor (for example, with alcohol). Next, you need to generously rub the scratch itself with a wax pencil and polish this place with a soft, dense cloth.

Tip

You haven’t found a wax crayon that is suitable for the shade and still decide how to gloss over the scratches on the laminate? No problem, as an alternative way, a regular shoe polish with a high wax content will do. You can either completely replace the pencil with it, or mix it with it for optimal color.

Putty on wood

You will have to resort to this option if the damage to the flooring is large enough and deep.

Putty is produced in three forms:

• solid (in the form of a bar);
• pasty;
• powdery.

Which option of these to choose in order to restore the laminate does not matter. It is only important that the putty is designed specifically for woodwork and fits the floor in color. By the way, mixing different shades of the same putty mixture to obtain the optimal tone is perfectly acceptable. But it is advisable to do this immediately before removing the scratches on the laminate. Then the mixture does not have time to solidify or delaminate, it will have a uniform color and optimal consistency.

Laminate scratches - how to clean putty correctly:

1. The area near the scratches is cleaned of dust, debris and dirt, degreased (with alcohol, acetone or something similar).
2. Putty is bred in the proportions indicated on the package (if it is not already purchased ready-made).
3. Paste the area around the scratch with masking tape or tape to protect the floor from the mixture.
4. Fill the scratch with putty using a flexible polymer spatula (in no case do it with a hard plastic or metal tool, it will scratch the floor even more). If this is not the case, a piece of thick rubber or even a finger will do.
5. The floor around is cleaned of excess putty.
6. Wait for the aggregate to dry completely and polish this area with a dry soft cloth. If necessary, you can additionally apply a thin layer of matte varnish or clear wax.

Repair kits

Such sets are a convenient complete solution to restore a laminate, but not all manufacturers of this flooring produce them. Typical kit composition: one or more wax crayons, putty packaging and a rubber spatula for its application. Perhaps the price of such a kit will cost a little more than buying all its components separately, but it is guaranteed to fit in color and texture to a certain type of laminate.

Tip

Wax crayons and putty should be chosen a little darker shade than the floor itself. Applied to the laminate in a small amount with a thin layer, they just match its color.

Top layer replacement

This option is suitable exclusively for caching flooring - in other words, by gluing tarred paper onto a chipboard base. Such material is not particularly durable, but it is easier to repair.

In order not to make a mistake and not spoil the floor even more, you need to make sure that the floor covering is really cached. To do this, before removing scratches from the laminate, it should be carefully inspected. Well, if somewhere in the closet there was a small piece of the coating lying on which you can first experiment.

Repair procedure:

1. The old layer of paper is carefully removed (from the entire board or only from a small area - it depends on the size of the damage).
2. If the scratch is deep and touched the chipboard - it is filled with putty (not necessarily the right color).
3. On top of wood glue (PVA or analogs), a piece of wallpaper or a decorative film that is suitable in color and thickness is glued.
4. After the glue dries, it is desirable to apply a layer of transparent varnish, this will significantly extend the life of the home-made coating and harden it.

Replacing individual boards

In especially neglected cases, when it is not possible to remove scratches, the damaged laminate strip can only be replaced.If a lot of time has passed since its installation, then the chance is great not to find the right type of coating for sale. Therefore, in order not to suffer and not try to pick up something similar, the floor covering should initially be purchased with a small margin and not throw out the surplus immediately after installation.

But if there are no spare boards left, and you can’t find a laminate for sale by color, you can resort to tricks. A scratched board or a substitute that is not quite identical in color can be put, for example, under a massive wardrobe or bed, where it will not be visible at all, and put in its place a whole undamaged strip that previously lay under the furniture.

Laminate replacement occurs according to the following algorithm:

1. baseboard dismantling;
2. analysis of flooring to the desired location;
3. Reassembly and installation of the skirting board.

If it is impossible to make out the entire floor covering for some reason, then there is a way to make a replacement locally - cut out the damaged area and put a new board in its place. This is done as follows:

• At a distance of 1-2 cm from the edge of the dismantled board, holes are marked and drilled with an interval of 20-25 cm.
• Lines are drawn along the holes.
• According to the marking, the old board is cut with a circular saw.
• All sawdust and other garbage are thoroughly cleaned.
• At the new board, the bottom of the castle is cut.
• Joiner glue is applied around the perimeter of this new strip of laminate.
• The board is fixed, pressed by weight, excess glue protruding above the floor surface is removed.
• For at least 24 hours they try not to step on the board and not to move it.

To summarize

A scratch on the laminate is not a reason to bashfully hide the floor under a large carpet, put furniture in this place or plan to change the entire flooring. Typically, such damage can be repaired with wax crayons or specialized putty for woodwork. And so that the need for repair occurs as rarely as possible, it is worth being careful and minimize the mechanical effects on the laminate.