How To Repair Scratches On Luxury Vinyl Flooring
Necessary to Repair Luxury Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring gives our homes the natural beauty that we all crave for. It adds value to the overall visual of our home and gives appeal to the eye. Although vinyl flooring is known to be durable, it can get damaged.
The dull or scratched vinyl floor feels unwelcoming to our eyes. Especially when your tiles are designed to mimic a substance (e.g., tiles), the scratches give away a natural look. That’s why repairing and maintaining scratches is essential.
How You Can Prevent Acquiring Scratches of Luxury Vinyl Flooring
There are several ways your floor acquires stains. We will point out the most common causes of scratches:
Furniture: Furniture and appliances can damage your floors efficiently. Heavy furniture can quickly put scratches on the floor while pushed around. Place plywood over the floor and use it to slide furniture or appliances. You can also use floor protectors to prevent dents. Simply put them under the furniture legs. It’s better to avoid items with casters at the bottom. Double wheel casters are safer than single-wheel casters comparably.
Dirt from Door Entrance: Adding a mat to entrances of any room can reduce scratch risks. Especially when the entrance that leads outside. Dirt can be abrasive and scratch the floor. It sticks to our foot and can scratch the floor while you walk. To prevent this, put mats at the entrance. You also need the right type of mat. Avoid mats with rubber or latex back. This type of carpet may chemically interact with the floor. Choose mats with vinyl-back or choose a colorfast woven rug. A cloth will prevent dirt or other materials from sticking with your shoes from entering the room.
Cleaning and Shining Products: Don’t use solvent-based polishes to shine your vinyl floor. Also, try to avoid products that add wax to the floor unless your floor has wax. Older floors can be waxed. Avoid using soap to clean the floor. These can dull the look of your floors.
How to Remove Scratches from Vinyl Flooring?
Method 1 - Use Erase or Tennis To Rub Scratches Off Vinyl Floor
That's right, remove it with erase or tennis, how you can delete your ex's phone. You can also do the same with scratches on your vinyl floor. How?
Just by going to the place where the line is use rubber to mob on it or use a tennis ball to hit it directly.
If there are still traces you can take a cloth and moisten it with alcohol to remove the rest.
It is important that you have previously cleaned the area to see how deep the scratch is.
It is important to note that this method is ideal as long as the scratch is very slight and superficial.
Method 2 - Use PU Cleaner To Retouch Scratches On Vinyl Floor
Smaller scratches and cuts in the vinyl floor can be easily retouched with a repair kit or a special PU cleaner. The PU cleaner works like a polish and fades small scratches and scrapes.
First of all, you have to lightly sand the damaged area using the white (finer) sanding pad. In doing so, protruding particles are sanded off, the protruding edges removed and the surface to be treated leveled. Then clean with the cotton cloth so that the surface is free of dust.
The PU cleaner is then taken and shaken for 20 seconds before use.
Spray the PU cleaner on the scratches from a distance of 30-40 cm. Depending on the desired result, you can repeat the process up to 3 times. The area should be allowed to dry for 5-10 minutes between applications.
After working, the floor should only be stepped on after about 6 hours.
How Fix Deep Scratch On Vinyl Floor?
Method 1 - Use Lime To Fix Scratch On Vinyl Floor
Before starting, the first thing you should do is clean the area to be sanded well. For this, it is recommended to sweep or vacuum. Then wipe with a mop dampened with water and dish soap. This way you can remove any residue that has the scratch of the vinyl floor.
Once dry, proceed to sand. It is recommended for this procedure to use 3 different types of sandpaper: P320, P500, and P800. Making a journey from the lowest numbering to the highest numbering.
Sanding should be smooth so that it does not affect the finish of the vinyl floor and should be done only in the affected area.
With the first sandpaper it is recommended that it be done on scratch in a linear manner. With the second it should be done in a circular way and with the last one, it should be done in a linear way.
The intent of this is to level the scratch and bring it to level with the rest of the floor. Touch the vinyl flooring with your fingertips to see if it achieved the effect you were hoping for.
Clean to remove dust and finally wax the area with good car wax.
Method 2 - Use PU Repair Pen To Fix Scratch On Vinyl Floor
A repair pen helps with cracks in plastic coverings such as linoleum or PVC.
First, use the enclosed plastic wedge to carefully remove protruding edges. Here the gray (coarser) sanding pad is used to pretreat the surface.
Then the repair pen is carefully shaken for 15 seconds before use.
Remove the cap and push up the tip into the cotton cloth. Press the area marked with a "P" below the brush tip - this will deflate the pen.
Now hold the pen with the tip down on the cloth and press P again to press the paint into the tip of the brush.
Wipe this off on the cloth so as not to paint too wet.
Now you can paint the area to be treated with the pen.
After 10 minutes you can repeat the process up to 3 times.
Then you can also use the PU spray to let the area around the scratch shine again. This should be done in the same way as with the treatment of the fine scratches.
Method 3 - Use Liquid Joint Sealant To Repair Scratch
This is an option if the scratch is very deep. You can buy a liquid joint sealant and apply it to the affected area. Before doing so it is recommended:
Open windows in the area to work like this has a strong odor.
Clean the area to work.
Mark the area to be worked with tape.
Be very careful when applying so that everything is at the same level.
This type of product usually brings an applicator to do it, in case that is not the case you can place a small drop on the affected area and let it dry.
Once it is dry, you just have to remove the adhesive tapes carefully, and voila.
Method 4 - Partial Replacement For Irreparable Deep Scratches
If your vinyl floor has very deep scratches, then the best thing you can do is change the sheet.
Vinyl floors are usually offered with geometric structures. This has the advantage that you can partially replace damaged areas. Here, a part of the floor is simply renewed. Often times, this method of repair is the only way to remove especially deep scratches.