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Care and Maintenance Guide / Laminate Flooring / Laminate Flooring Maintenance / Laminate Installation / Repair / Guides

How to Replace Damaged Laminate Flooring Planks

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how to replace damaged laminate flooring planks

You just got that new home or you’re moving the furniture back into place after the remodel and all of sudden it happens…that sound, that feeling, shame, guilt, that uh oh moment and you don’t know how to solve it. Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise. Yes, we know… you damaged the laminate plank. So you think of how to replace damaged laminate flooring planks.

It is important to make a plan before you move forward so you can save yourself worry, money, and time. Before you start thinking about how to replace damaged laminate flooring planks, take a quick glance at your room. Is your damage close to the wall or it is in the middle of the room?  There is a different procedure to follow depending on where the damage is located. If the damage is located next to the wall then you simply may want to disconnect those planks. If the damage is located in the middle of the floor then you may want to try a different procedure as we have highlighted below.

Damaged Plank Close To The Wall

Procedure:

In the event that you want to try this yourself, here is a guide to assist you along the way. If you’re not capable or doubt yourself, we advise you to consult with an installation expert. If you follow this guide, please take safety precautions with your tools, your adjoining planks, and your body (wear safety glasses, etc).

  • You’ll want to locate the wall that is closest to the damaged plank, then, you’ll want to remove the molding along that wall.
  • Now you have to reach the damaged plank, the only way to do it is to disassemble all the planks around by disconnecting the locking system.
  • When you disconnect the tongue of one plank from the groove of the other plank, they’re unlocked. You may have to do this several times before you can reach & replace the damaged laminate plank.
  • After, you will have to reset the wall base moldings back to normal after you have replaced the damaged plank and reconnected every plank.

Damaged Plank In The Middle Of The Room

Procedure:

Unfortunately, this type of fix does take some time and can require some skill. In the event that you want to try this yourself, here is a guide to assist you along the way. If you’re not capable or doubt yourself, we advise you to consult with an installation expert. If you follow this guide, please take safety precautions with your tools, your adjoining planks, and your body (wear safety glasses, etc).

  • To repair damaged laminate planks, start with drilling a ½” hole on each corner of the damaged laminate plank. You will want to be as close as possible to the plank end joints.
  • Drill two or three more holes on each side of the damaged laminate plank approximately 4” to 5” from each other.
  • Draw a straight line between the holes to prevent mistakes and use it as a cutting guide.
  • Make sure you stick to the exact depth of the laminate when using the saw so you prevent cutting into the underlayment or sub-floor which you definitely do not want.
  • Begin in the center of the laminate plank, cut along the lines to the inner holes and continue to the holes that you drilled.
  • Cut out the center piece or lift it out. If necessary you can use a utility knife to lift it up.
  • Remove the remaining pieces of the board by rocking them up and down. Be gentle and very careful during this step because you could cause damage to the laminate floor planks next to the damaged one. You definitely want to pay attention to the adjoining laminate floor planks.
  • Make sure the area is cleaned up from any excess. You want it to be nice and clean before you install the new plank.
  • Now it comes time for the replacement laminate plank. You have to cut off the tongue on both sides, the short and long edge of the board. Laminate flooring brands may also require trimming of the groove along a short edge so the new plank will sit in place. The best tool to do it will be a vibratory undercut saw.
  • Now that the damaged laminate plank is out of the way, it is time to install the new laminate plank. Apply a few drops of glue to the groove of the uncut plank (the one that was connected to the damaged plank). You should apply glue to all seams and joints but only a few drops. Wipe off any extra glue that you may have before it dries.
  • You should place something heavy on the plank and let it dry for the day.

Now that you know how to replace damaged laminate planks, you will be able enjoy a beautiful floor! We welcome feedback and any suggestions you may have on how to replace a damaged laminate flooring plank. If you’ve followed any advice from this article then please share your experience with us. We would love to hear about your experience in the comments below!

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66 comments
  1. Jennifer says:

    Help!
    I bought a house that has laminate wood flooring. The floor looks great but there is one damaged plank. I pulled one up and found a model number. Its 8mil but I cant find the manufacturer. How do I find one replacement plank without redoing all the floors?! The model number is :
    MM019538201069 – I dont know if the 3rd character is a zero or O. I have laid them before and tried to investigate on my own… its the uni-click flooring system — might be an old Shaw – system bought over by Mohawk- HELP!

  2. Lori says:

    Hi! I have a dent the size of a quarter in my laminate kitchen floor, where my son dropped a science project. It is in a spot that is very noticible but NOT possible to take out planks and put in a new one. (We do have 2 extra cartons from the install) could we just cut out a square a bit bigger than the dent and drop in a matching square?
    I’m not sure about using a “filler kit”, just because I worry about the “chunk” coming out in the future. Thanks!

  3. Danielle says:

    We have pergo in our dining room that was damaged by a leaking pipe. It is a corner of the room about 6′ x 8′. We pulled up the planks and dried the floor underneath. We ordered more from Homedepot but when we received the boxes we discovered that pergo changed the plank size. The new planks are 1/8″ wider than our original flooring from 2005. They don’t match up and we’re not sure what to do next. Any suggestion are welcome.

    • Bestlaminate says:

      Hi Danielle thanks for your question. I am so sorry to hear about the water damage to your floor. The best I could recommend would be to maybe try and shave the board down 1/8″ so it will fit into the spot correctly and use a siliconized caulk to fill in the joint to make a tight seem. I do hope this helps. Best of Luck.Brittany

  4. Frank C says:

    I know the article mentions using a circular saw for cutting out a bad plank, but is there a better tool for the corners? I looking to make a straight cut up and down and to get as close to the corners as possible, it seems like a circular saw is too curved to do the complete job. Any more recommended tool than a circular saw?

    • Fred says:

      Frank, they do sell oscillating tools that have small flat blades that can cut very precise. You can try to go that route if a circular saw won’t work for you. Good Luck.

  5. Illenna says:

    We had a ‘family’ contractor lay the laminate flooring from Lowes. The planks are tile pattern style with grout lines to match. Unfortunately he cut around the door frame facings leaving horrible gaps that look very bad. Also in front of the sliding doors stationary window side he left one+ inch gaps that the floor wall trim won’t help to hide like the rest of the room. I didn’t know what was the right thing to do until I had someone else lay laminate in a bedroom and saw what a great job he did and undercut the door facings and closet corners. Also it lined up to the walls with no more gap that recommended. What can I do to ‘fix’ the ‘relatives’ mess he left behind? Would the floor filler repair kit work to fill around the door facings?
    Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

    • Fred says:

      Illenna, you may be able to fill in the gaps with color matched caulk or wood putty. Unfortunately once the flooring is cut and laid there isnt a whole lot that you can do to fix it. If you have extra boards left over you can try to replace the bad cuts with the extra boards. Those are really the only options that you have left at this point. Good luck. Fred

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