Laminate is a high-quality floor covering, but it requires certain skills during installation. There are also a number of operating rules for this material that should never be violated. Otherwise, any violations can lead to undesirable consequences, the most dangerous of which is swelling of the surface and the formation of bumps on the floor. After the appearance of such flaws, you always have to think about what to do if the laminate is swollen from the water. It is extremely difficult to eliminate the formed defects, therefore it is recommended to consider the possible causes of damage to the laminated floors, as well as ways to eliminate them. We will talk about all this in our article.
The main causes of damage
Any action committed in case of non-observance of the installation technology, or mistakes made in the process of cleaning the floor surface with a laminated coating, will certainly have negative consequences. The most pressing issue is what to do if the laminate is swollen from the water. Particularly sensitive to various influences behave budget options laminate flooring. There are several reasons for the formation of bumps on a surface of this type:
- low quality of the used components;
- violation of operating rules;
- lack of the necessary tool or violation of installation technology.
First of all, it is worth paying attention to the quality of the purchased material. Creating a prestigious coating with a low cost, some manufacturers offer very poor quality products. Such samples are subject to absolutely all types of impact, and no problems can be dispensed with during their operation.
Material quality
Budget varieties of the laminate are made from pressed paper with a low content of sealing resins and the thinnest PVC coating. The decorative layer has very thin edges that can be deformed at the slightest stress during installation, thereby exposing joints or forming local surface swellings. Moisture under the protective surface of such a coating leads to swelling of the base of the laminate. If the laminate swollen from the water, how to fix the formation of volumetric tubercles? This can be found by looking at some recommendations.
Terms of Use
Higher-quality models of the laminated coating have a high cost, they are excellently joined and poorly pass moisture at the joints. However, violation of the operating rules (especially with regard to wet cleaning methods) can lead to the penetration of moisture under the top layer of material. And the MDF base contains wood fibers that are subject to deformation upon contact with water. Avoid contact of high temperature sources with the surface of the laminate. Particularly sharp heating can also lead to bloating.
Main mistakes
If the laminate is swollen from water, how to fix the defect? Damage can take as separate segments that make up the coating, and whole areas, including many components. Poor quality material becomes especially unusable when used in the kitchen or in the bathroom due to the combined effect of various factors. Particularly dangerous is the swelling of the laminate after water, which makes it unsuitable for further operation. Also, the floor may become unusable due to untimely elimination of the causes of damage. Spilled liquids that were not wiped off in a timely manner are especially dangerous for such a surface.
Process violations
Among other things, there are strict rules for the installation of these structures. Laying planes should not be in contact with the wall, but should have a technological deviation of 5 millimeters around the perimeter. After all, the laminate is able to expand with increasing room temperature, which will lead to its swelling in case of contact with the wall. The gaps between the lamellas will always be limited.
Coating Repair Methods
Often, when moisture enters, only one of the coating elements becomes unusable. If the laminate is swollen at the joints from the water, in this case, the stock prepared when purchasing the material can be very useful. If there is no such stock, then you can pick up a replacement only by comparison, taking a coating sample with you to the store. The most difficult thing is to replace the area in focus. In this case, the color should fully correspond to the damaged sample.
Segment Replacement
If the joint of the laminate from the water swollen, what should I do? In practice, it is quite difficult to remove the damaged surface, because the locks of the product may suffer. And this will lead to the formation of gaps that will not only spoil the appearance of the coating, but also violate its tightness, increasing the chance of moisture penetration to a sensitive base. It is important to remember that after opening the floor, it is necessary to make sure that there are no moisture residues that may pose a further danger.
Cargo application
If you try to squeeze the bulge on the floor with the help of cargo, you can encounter other unpleasant consequences. A plot of a swollen surface in nine cases out of ten will simply move to another place. To level the surface, it is worth resorting to a different technique, which largely depends on the cause of the damage.
If there are problems with the laminate flooring, first of all, it is necessary to eliminate all the obstacles that may prevent the laminate from straightening out. Next, it is worth checking the presence of a technological gap along all walls. If the surface of the coating abuts the wall at least in one place, this can also cause the swelling of the laminate.
It is worth remembering that the necessary clearance should not be less than 5 millimeters. If after removing all obstacles the surface does not begin to level out, it is necessary to perform an autopsy in the areas of swelling. After removing one of the components of the coating, it is worth inspecting the substrate for moisture accumulation. In some cases, it is advisable to replace the substrate in order to understand how to restore a laminate swollen from water.
Use of iron
Consider another method. Sometimes it is necessary to resort to unexpected solutions, for example, to fix a laminate swollen from water with an iron. According to reviews, this is a simple but effective way to eliminate defects. However, it is applicable exclusively to high quality material. If the laminate is swollen from water, how to fix it with an iron? The second condition that must be met is the absence of water in the substrate. To eliminate the swelling of the laminated surface, it is necessary to prepare an iron and a ruler of metal.
The controller for adjusting the heating of the iron is transferred to the middle position. At the site of the formation of the bulge, a metal ruler is applied to the junction of one of the lamellas, which is ironed with a metal iron. After the moisture that has got on the base of the laminate evaporates through the joints, the coating plane will begin to level out. This will remove the bloating.
Replacement difficulties
If a laminate swells after water, what should I do? Replacing single coating lamellas is fraught with certain difficulties. When disassembling a plane, there is a chance of chips on adjacent elements. In this regard, all actions should be performed with extreme caution. If the tongue-and-groove parts were connected not in the lock, but with the help of special glue, then the damaged fragment can be removed only in its entirety. To do this, using a marker on the diagonal of the lamella, a line is drawn along which a cut is made using a grinder, and the cut strip is removed in parts.
It is necessary to cut the marked component with indentation so as not to damage adjacent elements. To solve such problems, there are several different tools, equipped with additional devices. Thanks to their equipment, specialists can carry out such procedures with the least risk. However, to perform a one-time repair, there is no need to acquire professional equipment.
When repairing a laminated floor in a home environment, suitable tools are used. Here you can not do without a hammer, chisel, carpentry knife and screwdriver. Hand tools must be handled with great care. After all, wrong actions can cause scratches, chips and cracks. To eliminate such visible flaws, you will have to purchase additional tools.
What to do if a laminate swells from the water? Before removing the damaged component, it is necessary to separate the entire row in which it is located. Technological gaps left along the walls are convenient for this. After replacing the damaged area, all other elements must be assembled in the same order in which they were before.
Preventative measures
Floor coverings from a laminated board have several classes, which are denoted by numbers from 31 to 34. Materials of the 33rd and 34th class are of excellent quality and can serve for a long time. However, it is worth remembering that cleaning in rooms with such a coating should be done using certain models of household appliances. It should not have the ability to leave scratches, as well as create conditions of high humidity on the floor surface. You need to know these points so that you do not have to think about how to remove the swelling of the laminate from water.
When assembling a laminated coating, it is recommended to use special sealants designed for processing joints. Particular attention should be paid to the transverse seams for the reason that they have the greatest ability to pass moisture. If water was spilled on the surface of the laminate as a result of careless actions, then it should be immediately wiped and the surface dried. If this condition is met, unpleasant consequences can be avoided and not think what to do if the laminate is swollen from the water.
Acquisition Recommendations
In most cases, laminated floor coverings are whimsical materials that require special care and self-reliance. However, the resulting surface is so attractive that buyers often turn a blind eye to imperfections. Nevertheless, it should be noted that, along with the rest, there are samples capable of being resistant to water and mechanical damage. So, if you wish, you can always choose an option that is suitable for any category of premises, as well as able to meet the requirements of each consumer. You can get an attractive-looking floor surface without paying a high price.
But one should prepare for the fact that it is worth attracting specialists to assemble such structures with work experience and the necessary technical base. In addition, the further operation process will be coupled with many conventions that must be strictly observed.