Over the years, the use of this material as a universal floor covering for linoleum has become obsolete. Today, many other coatings have replaced it, which are not inferior to any parameters. One of the most common is laminate, which in specialized stores is presented in a wide range. Its positive qualities are durability, ease of laying and care, but when choosing a poor-quality material, the owner may have problems. The most common is the deformation of the floor covering. What to do if the laminate is swollen, depends on the reasons for the situation.
Improper operation and maintenance
Care for this flooring is different from the rest only because it can not be filled with a lot of water, so when washing the floors you should use only slightly soaked rags, and not wet. Frequent wet cleaning with waterlogging of the floor or prolonged exposure to water during flooding or flooding can easily lead to deformation of the floor. If the laminate is swollen with water, then, depending on the area of the affected area, replacements may require individual parts or the whole floor. The latter option refers to the owners, who at purchase decided to save money and bought a cheap laminate. The low cost of the material indicates only its insufficient quality and should not attract when choosing a floor covering for a long service life. Substandard may be the surface of the base under the laminate, which can also lead to swelling. At the same time, regardless of the choice of the main floor covering, the entire floor must be disassembled and re-constructed, completely replacing the substrate.
Thus, to prevent further costs, or at least to reduce them, the choice of quality materials for sex will help . Some expensive brands are even capable of completely recovering themselves after getting wet without needing to be replaced.
Incorrect laying
If after buying and laying a good covering, after a time the laminate is swollen, the reasons can be in its wrong flooring. The fact is that the laminate must "breathe" and for this it needs special compensation gaps around the perimeter. They are needed to provide the material with a buffer zone for expansion upon heating or humidity increase. The gaps are, as a rule, hidden under the skirting boards, therefore they do not bear any decorative load, because for free movement of the laminate it is enough to leave from each wall approximately one centimeter. For the same reason, the need for free movement of this floor covering can not be attached to the floor, the laminate should simply lie on the substrate and be connected with each other by locks.
Elimination of the effects of water
If the laminate is swollen, how to correct the effects of water? First of all, it is necessary to carefully remove all the floor covering to the deformed element and around it, then leave it for a while, so that the moisture on the substrate can dry completely. The beginning of the work is carried out by removing part of the plinth, which is closest to the blown element.
After that:
- In turn, the floor elements are removed;
- The surface is dried;
- Deformed elements are replaced by new ones;
- The entire construction is assembled again.
Old floor
What if the laminate flooring has been piled up long enough and there is no way to buy the same elements? Ideally, this situation should be prevented and when laying the floor covering, leave several elements for possible future repairs. If it was not done in due time, then it is possible to take for replacement any element from the used covering, which is laid down under furniture. To replace the same part can be any shade, because it will not be visible, the main thing is that the new purchased element had the same locks and fit in size to the flooring used.
Uneconomical economy
This is how you can characterize a cheap laminate, because in time it will have to be replaced completely, even if there is no deformation. The fact is that low-quality materials have a short service life, and with additional external factors, the entire coating collapses almost immediately, and it makes no sense to buy or replace only part of the flooring, since the remaining elements will also soon become worthless.
Solving the problem of improper installation
How to repair a swollen laminate if there were no moisture effects on it? The cause in this case is incorrect installation. And fix it can be given a design of greater mobility. To do this, from the floor covering you need to remove all the weighting items, that is, completely free the room from furniture and remove all the plinths along the perimeter of the room.
After completing all the preparatory work, you should:
- Note the place of the joint between the wall and the laminate;
- Cut off the abutting parts, providing a compensation gap along the entire perimeter;
- Put the plinth in place.
After the work done, the flooring should be given time to level off on its own and only then again load the room with furniture. If the seams of the laminate are swollen, and nothing touches the walls, then you should pay attention to the pipes coming out from under the floor. If there is such a gap between them and the coating should also be left at 10-15 mm. The main thing in the decorative filling of the room, so that the left slits were not visible due to the skirting boards. The main point here is that the skirting itself should be fixed solely to the walls, and not to the laminate. If there are locks in the room for doors, they can be mounted directly on the floor covering.
Problem prevention
When the laminate is blown, how to fix the problem? To do this is always more difficult than to prevent its appearance. To avoid this misunderstanding, it is necessary to devote sufficient time and resources to the acquisition of quality materials - both for the preparation of the base and the laminate itself - before the installation works. The main role in the selection should be played not by the cost, but by the quality of the products and by the positive feedback on this brand. Also, during installation, it is necessary to pay attention to the waterproofing of the floor and, if necessary, glue all joints of elements with special glue when laying.
In addition, in order not to think about what to do next if the laminate is swollen, you should:
- Do not wet the cover too much during cleaning;
- Periodically polish the floor with special tools;
- Observe all operating instructions.
Protection against moisture
Even at the stage of flooring, it is possible to provide a laminate with a certain protection against water. For this, after its installation, it is necessary to treat the surface of the coating with special wax. The main thing is to apply it only to slits and joints, avoiding hitting the smooth surface, otherwise the floor will be too slippery. In any case, the slots are pre-cleaned, and after the wax is thoroughly polished. For best effect, you should use a polishing machine, but you can work manually. It is important that after polishing on the surface of the laminate there are no traces of wax, so the procedure is carried out several times. The last polishing should be done not earlier than several hours after application, and full operation of the floor is allowed after another 12 hours. Because the wax can release toxic substances into the atmosphere, all work should be done only in a protective mask or respirator.
Conclusion
Now what to do if the laminate is swollen, it's understandable, and there is no need to call a master for this, who will additionally take money for his work. Of course, any problem is better to prevent and protect your floor covering from possible deformation in the future, so it is worthwhile to study all the rules of laminate operation and clearly observe them. But anyway, it's best to immediately buy expensive material to avoid problems in the future.