How to Fix Laminate Floor Discoloration

eHow may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.

Things You'll Need

  • Hammer

  • Pry bar

  • Replacement laminate floor planks (same as the discolored ones)

  • Trim nailer

A laminate floor, like a hardwood floor, can develop problems among some of the specific boards. If a laminate floor board in the middle of your floor has become discolored, from moisture or other problems, there's not really any way to fix it. You need to replace it. Luckily, laminate floors come apart much more easily than hardwood floors, since they aren't nailed or glued to the subfloor.

Advertisement

Step 1

Remove the floor trim around the edges of the room with your hammer and pry bar. Keep the trim from breaking as you remove it and save it. The trim removal will expose a half-inch space between the edges of the floorboards and the wall.

Video of the Day

Step 2

Push on the floorboards with your hands, toward the wall along the edge of the floor that's closest to the damaged boards. Wiggle and push the boards until they loosen from the connecting boards and are nudged into the half-inch space by the wall. Leave the boards sitting in their positions, loosened but in the same order they were in when they were connected.

Advertisement

Step 3

Repeat for the next course of boards, pushing them toward the wall and loosening them from the connecting boards. Work your way over the floor, course by course, getting all the boards loose and leaving them in the same order as before. Continue until you reach the discolored boards.

Step 4

Take out the discolored boards, unsnapping them from the connecting boards. Snap the new boards in their place.

Advertisement

Step 5

Reassemble the floor, snapping the boards back together and working your way back toward the wall where you started.

Step 6

Put the floor trim back in, using your trim nailer.

Advertisement

references

Report an Issue

screenshot of the current page

Screenshot loading...