Find repair pencils and markers online or at your local home improvement store. These repair pencils and markers are often useful on wood and vinyl, too. If you can’t find one specifically labeled for use on laminate, check for ones that work on wood.
If you’re in a hurry to get to the repairs, dry the floor off with a clean microfiber cloth after washing it with water.
The more filler you apply, the darker the material looks. Use it as sparingly as possible at first, then go back over the scratch to fill it and match its color to the rest of the floor.
Check for repair kits and putty online or at your local home improvement store. It may also be labeled as laminate paste or filler. [6] X Expert Source Jon GholianCleaning Specialist Expert Interview. 3 December 2020. Putty is better than pencil and marker fillers for fixing moderate scratches and gouges. If the scratch isn’t surface-level, you probably need putty.
Let the floor dry completely when you’re done or wipe it dry with another clean cloth. Make sure you don’t see any debris left in the scratches.
If you don’t have dyes, try using acrylic or oil-based paint from an art supply store. Use dyes sparingly. Add a few drops at a time, mixing the putty to see what color you get. Then, add more if you need to darken the putty.
Run the knife over the scratch in a few different directions. Doing this ensures the putty applies as evenly as possible. Fresh putty is very easy to clean up, so don’t worry about overfilling the scratch. You are better off overfilling the scratch a little bit to ensure you use enough putty to fill it.
Old wood putty is difficult to remove. Once the putty hardens, it has to be scraped off with tools like a chisel and scraper blade. The filler may require up to 24 hours to dry completely. [12] X Expert Source Jon GholianCleaning Specialist Expert Interview. 3 December 2020.
Kits and filler sticks are available online as well as many home improvement stores. If you’re getting separate filler sticks, look for products called burn-in sticks. Any wax advertised for use on wood also works on laminate floors. If you can’t find the exact color of wax you need, get the closest colors. Get a lighter brown and a darker brown, for instance, to mix to the shade you need. Wax sticks are the best way to fill in deeper scratches and gouges, especially if you can’t find a putty in the right shade you need. It is harder to apply than a putty, but you have more of an opportunity to adjust the filler’s coloring.
Another way to fill in gaps in the floor is by using a crayon. Remove the wrapper, then melt it in the microwave. Rub the melted wax over the gaps for an easier but slightly less effective way of repairing scratches.
If you need to color match the wax to your floor, start with the lightest color and work up to the darkest. Apply the wax a little bit at a time to get it to the color you desire. You can mix different colors of wax directly in the crack. If you wish to do a test run first, mix the wax in a small container or on a scrap piece of paper, then move it into the scratch.
Try to flatten out the scratched area as much as possible. Leaving a little overflow is okay, since you can always remove the excess wax before it dries.
Check your work by standing up and looking at the repair from a few different angles. If you repaired it well enough, you won’t be able to spot it very easily. Make sure you got all of the wax outside of the scratch.
