Can Laminate Flooring be Recovered Once Swollen?

Laminate flooring is a great option for many homes, but one of its disadvantages is that it isn’t water-resistant. Small spills that are quickly cleaned up won’t harm your laminate flooring, but other factors such as appliance condensation leaks, constant high humidity, damp sub-floor, or large spills or water leaks that seep in the crack between the laminate planks can damage your flooring. Once water gets into the cracks, it will swell the joints and cause the floor to swell, buckle and bubble. This can be unattractive, as well as unsafe, as it can cause tripping hazards. Once your laminate floor sustains water damage, is there any way to fix it? The best way is to completely replace the damaged boards. There is no need to replace the entire floor unless the damage came from an issue with the sub-floor. If your sub-floor has a moisture issue, the best course of action is to take up the entire floor and install a more water-resistant option. If your sub-floor isn’t the issue, and you only have damage in a small spot, use a hammer and pry bar to carefully remove the water-damaged planks. Make sure you’ve removed all the pieces with damage. If there are any damaged ones left, the could cause future problems. Be sure to air out the damaged area thoroughly to ensure that the area is completely dry before you install the new planks. Many homeowners will order extra laminate flooring when they have their floor installed just for these types of situations. It can be difficult to find laminate flooring that matches your current laminate’s patter, texture, and finish. If you have extra planks from your original flooring installation, it’s easy to cut them to size and click them right into place.