Laminate flooring is a clean and comfortable home. But due to the fact that the panels have a layered structure, damage to the floor in the form of scratches or chips is possible. Over time, there are more of them, and the question of how to remove scratches on a laminate can become an edge. Therefore, it is better to take care of the beautiful appearance of artificial parquet in advance, close up small scratches without delay, than to change the floor completely or partially, especially since some types of laminate cannot be painlessly replaced.
Causes of laminate floor scratches
From the causes of scratches on the floor, the following factors can be distinguished:
- Quality. The initial quality of the coating greatly affects its wear resistance. A cheap floor can become scratched after six months of improper use. As a rule, the instructions for use indicate which rooms this product can be used for.
- Humidity. When the humidity in the room is high, the top protective layer of the laminate flooring can move away from the base. This situation leads to large cracks or chips in thesurfaces. To avoid such a fate, you should purchase a coating of a higher quality production or monitor the level of humidity in the room.
- Furniture. Moving furniture without protective coatings automatically damages the entire floor plane, and the task of how to remove furniture scratches from the laminate becomes paramount.
- Shoes. Walking in high heels around the room can lead not only to scratches, but also to the fact that the coating will become like a sieve.
- Toys. Children's toys that have sharp parts can also cause damage to the laminate floor.
- Pets. The long claws of animals tend to leave microscopic marks on the laminate, which become very noticeable over time.
- Mismatched tiles. If you neglect all the rules for laying laminate flooring, then in the near future you can expect trouble in the form of damage. Due to humidity and use, edges that do not fit correctly tend to crumble and crack.
Types of laminate flooring
According to the manufacturing method, the laminate can be divided into certain markings, which can be found when purchasing the material. The type of laminate is indicated on the product label or on the packaging. But you can always get competent advice from a specialist who will take into account all the factors of using flooring material and advise which brand is best for this particular room.
- HPL - high pressure technology.
- DPR is a technology for printing a picture on a printer.
- CPL - continuous pressure technology.
- DPL - Direct Pressure Technology
- Caching method.
A certain flooring technique involves the use of certain materials, and, accordingly, certain methods of how to remove scratches on a laminate at home.
HPL mark
The cost of this material is quite high, but this is justified by its high wear resistance. Laminate of this brand is used to cover the floor with increased load. This brand is also used for the manufacture of countertops or furniture facades. The manufacturing method of the product consists of separately pressing the top layer of decorative paper, plastic and kraft paper, and after the press, the resulting blank is glued to the chipboard.
How do I remove scratches from this brand of laminate flooring? You can’t call the method easy, simple wax is not an assistant here. To remove scratches from this laminate, you need to use a putty designed for this purpose. As a rule, these are mixtures that are preheated and evenly distributed on the damaged surface, previously cleaned of dust and degreased with alcohol, with a spatula.
DPR Marking
The latest technology for the production of laminate is that the image on the material appears immediately on a slab of wood andshavings. Such a floor covering can be varied in color, which greatly complicates the task of repair. You can remove small scratches from a laminate of this production using putty and wax pencils of a suitable color.
Scratches on the laminate how to remove improvised means in this case? Here you can use special repair kits for laminate, which are sold in any building supermarket. They have the whole set of necessary tools in order for the task to be solved with a positive result.
CPL mark
The production method of this material almost copies the production of the DPL brand coating, but due to the additional layers of paper, the surface is more durable.
How to remove scratches on CPL brand laminate? You can use wax pencils or a special tool based on mastic.
You can also remove small scratches from CPL brand laminate with ordinary wax. In order for the mass to acquire a suitable shade, some craftsmen mix wax and shoe polish. This procedure adds moisture resistance to the mass and increases its protective properties.
DPL Marking
Slabs made with this method are the cheapest type of laminate. This coating consists of four layers that are pressed simultaneously:
- Paper impregnated with melamine and corundum.
- Decorative paper.
- Compressed wood boardshavings.
- Phenol resin impregnated kraft paper.
How do I remove scratches from this brand of laminate flooring? The method differs little from the main methods, but it is worth remembering that moisture is contraindicated for this material due to the use of paper in the process of its manufacture. Therefore, before removing scratches from the laminate with your own hands, the entire necessary surface must be degreased with alcohol and use ordinary wax, painted to match the tone of the coating.
Caching method
Caching laminate production consists of gluing resin-impregnated paper onto chipboard. Therefore, the resulting material is not durable, but it is very easy to repair. Scratches on the laminate how to remove improvised means in this case? It is enough to peel off the old paper and replace it with a new one, or disassemble the floor and replace the coating with new parts of the laminate. If there are no spare tiles, then with the help of wallpaper and PVA glue or a self-adhesive film of a suitable color, it is quite possible to repair a small area of the floor. This is the only brand of laminate flooring with which you can solve the problem without much investment.
Repair Kits
Can scratches be removed from laminate flooring? The answer to this question can be considered in the affirmative with the availability of special kits for repair work. Reliable and versatile means for such purposes can be mixtures based on wax or putty intended for wooden surfaces.
In the set for work onlaminate flooring usually includes:
- Tube with putty.
- Plastic or rubber spatula.
- Couple of elements with paint.
- Wax-based pencils.
After applying the ingredients from the repair kit, you should take care of the presence of a colorless varnish. It is he who will completely saturate the tiles and prevent cracks and scratches from appearing again soon.
Repair method
Any damage should be removed while it is small. This will allow the wood chip composition of the laminate to not fall apart and will not lead to a complete replacement of the flooring. If the repair kit is assembled in full quantity, then the repair should be carried out in the following order:
- Cleaning the area from dust and dirt by any means of home chemicals. But it is worth remembering that not all brands of coating tolerate water well. Some types of laminate should simply be wiped with a damp cloth before repair.
- Dry cloth should be degreased with alcohol or a special degreaser and wait until the alcohol composition has completely evaporated.
- Thoroughly rub the entire surface with a putty or wax pencil, followed by cleaning off excess putty.
- After the composition has hardened, the smeared surface should be opened with varnish, preferably in several layers. It is the varnish that will prevent the surface from cracking and hide all visible defects.
If all the rules are followed in accordance with the instructions for the repair kit, then the scratches will be almost invisible. In case of major damage to the laminate, you can always go forfull site replacement.
