Modern laminate has high strength, abrasion resistance and other advantages, for which it has received such wide popularity and distribution. However, no one is insured against accidental damage as a result of careless handling of heavy or sharp objects. Another advantage of laminate flooring is the ability to make repairs yourself: repair a small chip or remove scratches on the laminate. In case of irreparable damage, it is quite easy to replace a separate lamella without dismantling the entire covering.
Most often, various chips and scratches on the surface of the laminate appear after an unsuccessful move of furniture or the fall of a heavy object with sharp corners. The average person has a natural question: what to do? Let's look at some common laminate damage that can be repaired with minor repairs without replacing the slats.
Defects are different from defects
Laminate has a multi-layer structure, so damage can be of a different nature. If they arose due to a violation of production technology by the manufacturer, then there is a risk that you will soon have similar defects in other parts of the finished coating. If the reason was your carelessness, then you have every chance to save the attractive appearance of the floor covering and not be bothered by such problems anymore.
Having noticed damage and choosing a method to repair laminate flooring when the material is chipped, first assess how serious the damage is. It is not a problem to disguise and correct slight violations of the structure of the material, but if the defect is very large and obvious, then sometimes it is advisable to think about replacing one or more dies.
Important! Since all damage, due to which you then have to repair the laminate, repair chips, cracks and restore the surface, is usually caused by improper installation, frequent use of aggressive detergents, or moving heavy objects, just try not to do all this.
Instead of a resume
Cosmetic repairs of minor damage to laminate flooring are simple. To do this, you don’t need to invite any master. If you have any questions, you can find a suitable video on the Internet that shows all the stages of work.
There are many tools on sale for performing such work, but not all of them are universal. Repair materials should be selected depending on the degree of damage. For example, a deep scratch cannot be hidden with olive oil or WD-40; it will require putty or a special paste.
It is important to notice the defect in time and quickly eliminate it. If this is not done, further destruction of the laminate will occur, which will lead to expensive repairs.
Small chips and scratches
Let's start with the simplest thing, which you can easily handle if a chip appears on the laminate and needs to be fixed. In such cases, the following means are used:
- Wax pencil. It would be advisable to immediately buy one that matches the color of the selected tone of the material itself, even when ordering it. In this case, you can fix any minor damage in 5-10 minutes without leaving your home during your usual daily cleaning. Since wax pencils come in different varieties, you can take 2 at once: hard - for surfaces with heavy loads, soft - for those areas of the floor where they will not often step on and place heavy furniture. The method of application is extremely simple: melt the product a little so that it becomes plastic, but does not reach a liquid consistency, fill the crack with it, smooth it with a spatula or rag and polish it after drying.
- Retouching marker. This is a product for restoring laminate flooring at home with very minor scratches. It will help remove scuffs, restore the color of the coating, and remove very small cracks. It’s even easier to use - draw defects and polish the surface. This product is good because, due to the rosin in its composition and a special toner, it perfectly emphasizes the structure of the wood.
Advantages of laminate floors
If you don’t have enough money for ceramic tiles, then laminated parquet is a good alternative. Basically, there are two options:
- lay linoleum with a pattern;
- lay laminated board.
Which one is preferable? Let's consider both options:
- Laminate flooring is much easier and faster to install. The slats have a convenient locking system that allows you to easily install the floors.
- Laminated parquet is much more comfortable for living than linoleum. Slippery and cold artificial material is not suitable for children's rooms. Despite its practicality, linoleum is still environmentally worse, and we still spend most of our time in the kitchen
- The advantage of laminated boards is also the easy replacement of damaged lamellas; a panel with a scratch or chip can be replaced very quickly.
Laminated parquet and sound insulation under the laminate must have a number of properties suitable for residential premises.
