Laminate flooring means cleanliness and comfort in the house. 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 the laminate can become an edge. Therefore, it is better to take care of the beautiful appearance of artificial parquet in advance, repair small scratches without delay, than to change the floor completely or partially, especially since some types of laminate can not be replaced painlessly.
Causes of scratches on the laminate
Among 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. Cheap flooring can become scratched after six months of improper use. As a rule, the instructions for use indicate for which premises this product can be used.
- Humidity . With increased humidity in the room, the upper protective layer of the laminate flooring can move away from the base. This situation leads to large cracks or chips on the surface. To avoid this fate, you should purchase a coating of better production or monitor the level of humidity in the room.
- Furniture Movable furniture without protective coatings automatically damages the entire floor plane, and the task of removing scratches from furniture from the laminate becomes paramount.
- Shoes . Walking around the room in heeled shoes can lead not only to scratches, but also to the fact that the coating will look like a sieve.
- Toys Children's toys with sharp parts can also be one of the causes of damage to the laminate floor.
- Pets. Long claws of animals, as a rule, leave microscopic lesions on the laminate, which become very noticeable over time.
- Incorrectly fitted tiles. If you neglect all the rules for laying a laminate, then in the near future you can expect trouble in the form of damage. Due to humidity and during operation, edges that are not fitted correctly tend to crumble and crack.
Types of Laminate
According to the manufacturing method, the laminate can be divided into certain markings, which can be found when buying material. The type of laminate is indicated on the product label or on the package. But you can always get competent advice from a specialist who will take into account all the factors of using floor material and advise which brand is best suited for this particular room.
- HPL - high pressure technology.
- DPR - technology for printing a picture on a printer.
- CPL - continuous pressure technology.
- DPL - direct pressure technology
- Caching method.
A certain technique for the manufacture of flooring involves the use of certain materials, and accordingly, certain methods of how to remove scratches on the laminate at home.
HPL marking
The cost of this material is quite high, but this is justified by its high wear resistance. Laminate of this brand is used for flooring with increased load. Use this brand and for the manufacture of countertops or furniture facades. The method of manufacturing the product consists of separately crimping the top layer of decorative paper, plastic and kraft paper, and after the press, the resulting workpiece is glued to the chipboard.
How to remove scratches on the laminate of this brand? The method cannot be called 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 a damaged surface, previously cleaned of dust and defatted with alcohol, a spatula.
DPR marking
The latest technology for the production of laminate flooring is that the image on the material appears immediately on a plate of wood and shavings. Such flooring can be varied in color, which greatly complicates the task of repair. You can remove minor scratches from the laminate of this production using putty and wax pencils of a suitable color.
How to remove scratches on the laminate with improvised means in this case? Here you can use special repair kits for laminate flooring, which are sold in any building supermarket. They have the whole set of necessary tools in order to solve the problem with a positive result.
CPL marking
The manufacturing method of this material practically copies the production of DPL brand coatings, but due to additional layers of paper the surface has greater strength.
How to remove scratches on a CPL laminate? You can apply wax pencils or a special tool based on mastic.
You can remove minor scratches from the CPL brand laminate with ordinary wax. In order for the mass to acquire a suitable shade, some masters mix wax and shoe polish. This procedure adds moisture resistance to the mass and increases its protective properties.
DPL marking
Plates made by this method are the cheapest type of laminate. Such a coating consists of four layers that are pressed simultaneously:
- Melamine impregnated papers with corundum.
- Decorative paper.
- Pressed wood chipboard.
- Kraft paper-impregnated phenol resin.
How to remove scratches on the laminate of this brand? 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 its manufacturing process. Therefore, before removing scratches from the laminate with your own hands, you need to degrease the entire necessary surface with alcohol and use ordinary wax, painted to match the tone of the coating.
Caching method
The production of a laminate by the caching method consists of gluing resin-impregnated paper onto chipboard. Therefore, the resulting material is not durable, but it is very easy to repair. How to remove scratches on the laminate with 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 using a wallpaper and PVA glue or a suitable color film with a self-adhesive base, it is quite possible to repair a small area of the floor. This is the only brand of laminate with which you can solve the problem without much money.
Repair Kits
Is it possible to remove scratches from the laminate? The answer to this question can be considered affirmative with the availability of special kits for repair work. Reliable and universal means for such purposes can be mixtures based on wax or putty, designed for wooden surfaces.
A kit for laminate work usually includes:
- Tube with putty.
- Spatula made of plastic or rubber.
- A pair of elements with paint.
- Wax-based pencils.
After applying the ingredients from the repair kit, it is worth taking care of the presence of a colorless varnish. It is he who completely impregnates the tiles and will not allow cracks and scratches to appear again soon.
Repair Method
Any damage should be removed while they are small. This will allow the wood-particle composition of the laminate not to fall apart and will not lead to a complete replacement of the floor covering. If the repair kit is assembled in full, then the repair should be performed in the following order:
- Cleaning the site from dust and dirt by any means of household chemicals. But it is worth remembering that not all brands of coating tolerate water well. Before repairing some types of laminate, simply wipe it with a damp rag.
- A dry cloth should be degreased with alcohol or a special degreasing agent and wait until the alcohol composition has completely evaporated.
- Using a putty or wax pencil, thoroughly wipe the entire surface with the subsequent cleaning of excess putty.
- After the composition hardens, the smeared surface should be opened with varnish, preferably in several layers. It is the varnish that will not allow the surface to crack and hide all visible defects.
If all the rules are observed in accordance with the instructions for the repair kit, then the scratches will be almost invisible. In the case of thorough damage to the laminate, you can always go to replace the site completely.