Engineered Wood Floor Repairs
Engineered wood flooring is an advanced and innovative real wood product. It is designed to be significantly less prone to the impact of moisture, humidity, and temperature fluctuations compared to the classic solid wood floor solution, therefore, engineered wood floors can be installed in the bathroom, kitchen, basements, and wherever increased indoor moisture levels could be otherwise an issue.
It is all thanks to the unique structure of the engineered wood floorboards that are made of a core of layers. The layers are made out of plywood, softwood, or other wooden materials and glued together crisscrossed. This prevents the excessive contracting and expanding of the floorboards when exposed to increased moisture and temperature fluctuations that could sometimes damage the floorboards or cause damage to the structural integrity of the entire floor.
The core is then topped with a layer of hardwood called lamella. Depending on the thickness of the lamella layer, engineered wood floors can be sanded up to a couple of times in their lifecycle. However, sanding and refinishing are not the only ways to take care of your wooden floor and ensure it is in perfect condition and appearance. There are a number of other professional engineered wood floor repair methods that can ensure your floor is brought back to its initial durability and beauty.
Minor Engineered Wood Floor Repair
There are all sorts of engineered wood floor issues despite the fact that engineered wood floors are super durable and hard-wearing. However, over time and due to everyday use, high traffic, and more, engineered wood floors may start experiencing some general wear and tear as well as other minor imperfections and issues.
Engineered Wood Floor Repair Kit
Engineered wood floor repair kits are a common and efficient way for fixing some minor floor issues such as fixing hollow or raised spots in the floor. These issues often occurred when the wood floor adhesive fails to bond to the subfloor during the installation process. They can also be a result of a single floorboard being damaged due to moisture and humidity. Using an engineered wood floor repair kit is easy and often very effective.
It involves drilling a small hole into the loose boards, then injecting wood floor adhesive through the hole until it reaches under the board. The next step is holding the floorboard in place by placing a heavy object on top of it. Once the adhesive is completely dry, the heavy object is removed and the little hole is filled in with wood putty.
Engineered Wood Floor Gap Filling
The occurrence of different gaps and cracks is a common issue with engineered wood floors over time or when the floorboards are dried out due to significantly decreased levels of indoor humidity. Smaller wood flooring gaps can be filled in with a mixture of resin and sawdust. It is important to use the sawdust produced during the sanding of the floor or wood dust from sanding a similar in the colour floor as you need to ensure the perfect match in order to blend the treated area seamlessly with the rest of the floor.
Replacement of Damaged Engineered Wood Floorboards
Sometimes the issue is beyond repair or repairing it will cost too much, take too much time or be too difficult. If the engineered wood floorboard is damaged beyond repair, the best thing that can be done is simply replace it. Thankfully, engineered wood floorboards allow spot repair which means you can replace a single or a few damaged floorboards without being pressured to lift and replace the whole floor.
Always make sure to hire experienced and reliable specialists for such wood floor repair service as it requires a lot of knowledge, expertise, and craftsmanship in order to be done properly and perfect results to be achieved. Never DIY a wood floorboard replacement project as this can easily turn into a nightmare if you don't have any previous experience. The wood floorboard replacement project will start by cutting lengthwise down the centre of the damaged plank with a circular saw.
This is done carefully to prevent damaging or cutting the subfloor underneath. Then, the wood is chiselled out of the opening. Again, this step is performed very carefully to avoid damaging the adjacent engineered wood floorboards. It is important to find the exact match to the rest of the floor when getting new engineered wood floorboards to replace the damaged ones. A reliable and experienced wood flooring supplier will be able to provide you with a great variety to choose from and find the exact match. In the rare case that there is no exact match available, the wood floor repair team will purchase unfinished floorboards and stain them to achieve the colour of the rest of the floor.
Every new floorboard will have a tongue connector along one edge and a groove on the other. A circular saw is used for carefully removing a portion of the groove connector so the board can be fitted into the existing floor. Epoxy adhesive is then applied onto the tongue and groove of the new plank and onto the bottom of the board. The floorboard is then glued down by sliding the tongue connector of the new board into the groove connector of the adjacent row.
Sanding and Refinishing of Engineered Wood Flooring
General wear and tear as well as a number of imperfections such as scratches, dents, scuffs, marks, stains, dirt build-up and issues with the finish such as discolouration, dulling, and shipped finish can be easily removed with the help of a sanding and refinishing service.
Sanding and refinishing bring the floor back to its initial top-notch appearance and also improve the durability of the floor by removing all issues that can eventually grow bigger and cause major problems. You can either opt for spot sanding and refinishing of only an area of the floor that is too worn or damaged or you can decide to have the entire floor sanded and refinished.
Since the top layer of the engineered wood floor is not as thick as solid wood flooring, sanding and refinishing should always be performed by experienced professionals. A DIY project hides the serious risk of over-sanding that can lead to other serious issues and major damages.
Our flooring service comes with obligation-free site visit, quick quotations and free advice. Give us a call on 020 88309782 to speak to a member of our staff, who can arrange for a free assessment of your floor sanding or wood floor fitting service at a convenient for you time.