Single laminate planks that have been damaged by water cannot be repaired. But the good news is they can be replaced without replacing the entire floor. Take advantage of any leftover laminate flooring planks from the initial installation.
Depending on the type of floor you have, there may still be laminate flooring water damage. Occasional spills should be nothing to worry about. But if your floor is submerged or stays in contact with water long enough, it can swell and break down. Water damaged boards can't be fixed, but they can be replaced.
Using a knife, you may then make a slight incision in the affected area. Grab some wood glue, squeeze it into your incision, and then attempt to stick the laminate back down flat. You'll need to keep constant pressure on the area for the glue to hold, so find a heavy object that you can leave on it to weigh it down.
Water under your laminate flooring can cause severe damage if not dried quickly. Laminate flooring is relatively easy to install and maintain, but there are a few things you need to know about how to dry laminate flooring with water under it.
How Long Does It Take for Mold to Grow Under Wet Laminate? It only takes as little as 24 hours for mold to start growing under wet laminate flooring, if the water is dirty, it has come from a dishwasher, outside groundwater, a toilet or dirty carpet it can start growing bacteria even quicker, in as little as 12 hours.
If the laminate isn't acclimated to the internal temperature and humidity before being laid, it may shrink or grow once laid, causing lifting.
You will need to make sure this joint is also sealed to help prevent water seepage. Use a sealant such as a silicone-based kitchen or bathroom sealer to do this. First, seal the edge of the flooring up to the wall.
Humidity can make your laminate floor boards shrink or expand a bit. This fluctuation in humidity levels can cause them to click loose and move, resulting in openings between the boards. Fortunately, you don't have to remove the entire floor to close these open joints.
If you have started to notice bubbles and swelling in your laminate, don't worry you don't have to replace the whole floor in most cases. This can be caused by water spills, high moisture, too much tension between each plank, lack of expansive joints, and lack of a strong moisture barrier.
You can fix a floor that rises up in a few easy steps. The only things you'll need are: a chisel, a hammer and a multi-tool. Some surplus laminate board comes in handy too. Take the extra board or a straight slat and put it over your floorboards.
Laminate flooring is very thin, so any unevenness on the subfloor will eventually begin to show as the floor settles into position – you can find out more about this in our 'What is laminate flooring' guide. The spongy effect can be caused by a dip in the subfloor causing an air gap underneath the laminate flooring.
Use a flashlight, shining the beam at an angle to the planks, to be able to see color changes better. Aside from discoloration in the flooring installation, damage from water can cause planks to become loose. Over time, warping and buckling is an issue as well, due to excess moisture.
Though laminate flooring industry specifications dictate tests for laminate flooring and water where the flooring is submerged under water for a full day, irreversible damage happens long before that. Laminate flooring with open edges will maintain its original dimensions for a few hours after submerged water exposure.
Typically, laminate flooring is not meant to be glued – however, in applications with high risk of moisture exposure, it is okay to glue the joins. A good quality laminate glue and silicone caulk can help seal your laminate to help make it more resistant to moisture.
People are always asking if they can do anything to their old laminate floor to make it more waterproof. The short answer is no. You can help make it less susceptible to water issues but waterproofing a laminate floor is impossible due to the fact the core of these products is fiberboard.
If you are looking to make your laminate flooring more moisture resistant it is okay to apply laminate flooring sealant to the joints only, do not extend to anywhere else on the flooring. You can't glue laminate flooring to the subfloor as it limits the floor's ability to expand and contract effectively.
If your laminate flooring has taken on too much moisture and is warping out of shape, the first step is to address the cause of the damage – fixing any leaking pipes or other sources of damp. Unfortunately, the affected laminate boards will need to be replaced.
Treat exposed molded subflooring with a mixture of 1 cup of borax and 1 gallon of water or an EPA-registered mold removal product. Spray the solution on the moldy plywood. You can also soak affected subflooring with a brush broom. Wait 10 minutes, scrub the area, and repeat the process two more times.
However, in the event of flooding or a bad sewage leak, standing water beneath vinyl plank flooring won't dry out on its own due to too much condensation that has collected between the vinyl planks and substrate or underlayment.
Black mold, as the name implies, is often dark in color. When searching for black mold, look for circular-shaped spots that are black, dark green or dark brown. Some black mold can also take on shades of orange or have flecks of white within it. Most of the time, black mold has a slightly furry appearance.
The problem with laminate flooring and humidity
Too much humidity can cause floorboards to swell. Laminate is less affected by these changes than solid hardwood floors, but it's still a consideration. When planks expand, the pressure between them increases, and they can buckle or warp.