Vinyl flooring is some pretty tough stuff. With the right vinyl flooring maintenance, your floors can look their best for years! However, vinyl isn’t completely indestructible.
It can fall victim to scratches, tears, and holes. But, you don’t have to let a little bit of damage ruin your entire décor. That’s because vinyl flooring repair can be an easy, do-it-yourself project – as long as you have the right tools!
The first thing you should do when you spot vinyl flooring damage is to look at your warranty. With a good manufacturer, things like scratches, dents, and loose seams will be covered under your warranty. But, if your warranty isn’t going to cover the damage, here’s how you can tackle the damage yourself:
1. If you have vinyl planks or tiles, keep a few on hand
Vinyl planks and tiles can be much easier to replace than sheet vinyl, because they are not one single piece. If a tile or 2 gets damaged, you can simply replace the affected tile without damaging any other areas.
2. If you have sheet vinyl, keep some scraps handy
Damage to your sheet vinyl flooring doesn’t always mean that you have to replace the whole thing. All you need is a piece of identical sheet vinyl that’s a little bit bigger than the damaged area. You’ll need to adhere it properly and seal the edges to the main flooring for a flawless finish.
3. Take a careful look at any loose seams
When it comes to vinyl flooring, loose seams can pop up for all sorts of reasons. A simple loose seam is easy to fix yourself, though. Just use a little bit of vinyl adhesive to secure the area, then re-seal the affected area to make sure that it’s still water-tight.
However, if your loose seams are due to something more serious – like a leak that’s caused your underlayment to become waterlogged and warped – you will need a professional to come in and assess the situation before you seal any seams yourself.
4. Get a vinyl flooring repair kit
These kits come with fillers that cover up rips, burns, holes, and gouges. And, these kits also come with several basic colors, so that you can mix and match to get the perfect shade for your floor. As an added benefit, vinyl flooring repair kits are cheap. Usually, they cost less than $10 – which is much cheaper than calling in a professional, buying more vinyl, or replacing the entire thing!
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