If your vinyl flooring is ripped, warped or torn,use these temporary fixes and repairs until you can replace it.
Your flooring looked great when you first had it installed, or when you moved into your home, but now it is looking a little worse for wear. You know it needs to be replaced, but you are either not ready to make a large purchase, or you just have not yet decided what type and style of flooring you want to replace it with. Until you are able to pull it up and install new flooring, there are some other options.
A local flooring store, hardware store, or home improvement center should offer a patching kit specially designed for vinyl flooring repairs. Patching kits come complete with everything you need to patch your floor, and they cost around $30.00 each. These products can also be purchased online.
Clean the damaged area of the flooring thoroughly before beginning. Patching kits, which are the same product professional flooring layers use, include two substances. These must be mixed together immediately before application.
After thoroughly mixing the two ingredients, apply the patching compound as directed. You must use the mixture at once, and you cannot keep what is left over. After twenty-four hours, you must dispose of the remaining mixture.
If for some reason your flooring was laid outside cabinetry or after the trim was installed, and it is pulling away at the edges, the best thing to do is tack it down. You can secure it in place with a heavy-duty staple gun or thin double-faced tape. Cover the repair with quarter round or another type of trim, which will also help secure the edge.
For small cracks and tears, try "super" strength glue. Make sure the flooring is clean, apply a thin bead of glue, and hold the sides of the crack together until the glue has had a chance to set up. Once the glue is dry, you will need to sand the area until smooth.
For tiny rips, tears or imperfections, nail polish may work temporarily. It is best to test the polish in an out of the way, unnoticeable area, before using it on a more obvious area of the floor. You will of course want to use clear polish or a color that closely matches your flooring. Follow the directions listed above for applying super strength glue. When the polish is dry, you must sand the area until smooth. Before applying glue or nail polish, check with the manufacturer to insure that these substances will not harm the flooring.
For vinyl tiles, it is best to remove a damaged tile and replace it. For large areas of damage in vinyl sheeting, you may need to replace a section of the flooring, if you have a scrap piece left over from installation. If not, check to see if you can locate your design. You may have to special order it. See if you can purchase a remnant or scrap just a bit larger than the damaged area.
Using a straight edge and a utility knife, you will need to cut away a square that is a bit larger than the damaged area. To aid in removing the flooring, you may need to heat the area up with a hair dryer. Be sure to scrape away any remaining adhesive.
Trace the piece that you removed onto the back of the scrap piece of flooring, being careful to match up any patterns. Cut it out with the utility knife. Make sure the sub floor is free of dust and dirt, and is completely dry before attempting to install the new piece.
Use only those adhesives that are approved by the manufacturer, and apply a thin coat to the sub floor as well as the back of the new piece of flooring. Line the new vinyl up and press it into place.
Use a clean paint roller or a rolling pin to apply pressure. Repeat this step 2-3 times until no more adhesive seeps out from the edges. Clean up any excess adhesive immediately with a warm damp rag, and let the repair dry overnight before allowing anyone to walk on it.
