How do I replace a damaged laminate plank?

The short version

You can replace one damaged laminate plank without relaying the room, and it is a sensible weekend job if you have a spare plank from the same line. There are two methods. Near a wall, you unlock the floor row by row back to the damage. In the middle of a room, you cut the damaged plank out from the top and glue a new one in. Which fits depends on how your floor locks together, so read the manufacturer's installation guide for your product before you cut.

A floor finish repair needs no building permit in Virginia: the Uniform Statewide Building Code's list of work exempt from a permit includes "Installation or replacement of floor finishes in all occupancies."^[1]

Before you start

Find a matching plank. Colour and embossing vary between production runs. A spare saved from the original install is best; a loose plank from a closet or under a built-in works too, because you can replace that one with a new plank where nobody looks.

Know what is underneath. If you find old resilient flooring below the laminate, leave it alone. EPA lists "Vinyl floor tiles and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives" among the places asbestos may be found.^[3] If the old layer is cracked or you cannot tell what it is, do not sand, scrape or break it up.

Mind old painted trim. Prying baseboard in a house built before 1978 can disturb lead paint. EPA's lead rule covers anyone paid to perform work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978,^[4] and in general it does not apply to homeowners working on their own homes. Work gently and wipe up dust with a damp cloth.

Method one: unlock the floor back to the damage

Use this when the damaged plank is within a few rows of a wall. Remove the baseboard or shoe moulding along that wall, then lift and unlock the rows one at a time, numbering each plank on the back in pencil so it goes back in order. Swap in the new plank, relock the rows and refit the trim.

It is the cleanest repair because every joint goes back the way the factory made it. Most click-together laminate floats over an underlayment and is held by its joints and the trim, not nailed down, but check your guide: a glued floor cannot be taken apart this way.

Method two: cut the plank out and glue the new one in

Use this when the plank is mid-room. You cut out the centre of the damaged plank, remove the edges, trim the new plank so it can drop in from above, and glue it. The steps below walk through it. Never cut deeper than the plank, because the underlayment and the subfloor are not part of the repair.

Clean up

Vacuum the opening before the new plank goes in, since grit in a joint stops it closing. Afterwards, use cleaning products made specifically for laminate floor care^[2] and wipe up spills quickly. Shaw's guidance for its laminate is clear: "Do not wash or wet mop the floor with soap, water, oil-soap detergent or any other liquid cleaning product."^[2] Water that finds an open joint is what makes laminate swell, so a wet mop can damage the repair.

Stop and call a pro if

• The damage came from water. A new plank does not fix a leak. Swollen planks near a dishwasher, door or wall mean you should find and stop the source first.
• The subfloor is soft, stained or uneven. That is a subfloor repair, not a plank job.
• You find old vinyl tile, black adhesive or anything of unknown age. EPA lists vinyl floor tiles, sheet-flooring backing and adhesives among possible asbestos sources,^[3] so do not disturb them.
• A dozen or more planks are damaged. Patches will show; ask for a quote on the section.
• The floor is glued down and you cannot match it. Cutting out glued planks takes more skill.

Getting help in Virginia

If you would rather hand it over, read whether to hire a flooring installer for a few damaged boards and whether to repair or replace damaged flooring. Browse home repair answers and flooring repair businesses, then describe the damage once and licensed local contractors quote it.