No way to repair that I am aware of .

 

I kind of figured there was no real repair, but I wonder if there's any way to conceal it a bit? Even just by re-coloring the black to something more similar to the floor, or at least a lighter shade.

 

We used a seam sealer when we installed them with a join.. Not sure what it is and it might take a search.

It was a liquid that went down in the seam.
Repair and Reglue Sheet Vinyl Floors (DIY) (familyhandyman.com)

 

Thanks for the link. That might work.

The black line is probably dirt. If you can get it out, you can buy a topical seam sealer that will prevent getting more dirt in it. I would try some alcohol on a rag. Don't soak the floor with alcohol.

That might do it. I just tried and it did help some. I couldn't get at it very well with my fingernail though, so I'll need something pointy that gets out the dirt without expanding the crack. Maybe a needle.

If you can feel the slit with a fingernail you can use clear silicone sealant.
But as others have mentioned, make sure it's not dirt that is making the slit black.

I can feel the slit but just barely. I suspect Rusty is right and it is dirt. It's going to take a while to clean it out without doing more damage, but I think it's doable.

Thanks all!

 

The black line is probably dirt. If you can get it out, you can buy a topical seam sealer that will prevent getting more dirt in it. I would try some alcohol on a rag. Don't soak the floor with alcohol.

 

If you can feel the slit with a fingernail you can use clear silicone sealant.
But as others have mentioned, make sure it's not dirt that is making the slit black.

 

Imo silicone is not good on floor because it attracts grime and dirt. It will be black again within a week.

 

I made my statement based on 50 year old floor. Next to impossible for me to match paint on a wall let alone a floor.

 

I don't have any hope of matching the floor, especially because the line goes through multiple colors. I'll be satisfied if I can get the black to a more neutral color so it's not as noticeable.

 

A pro would cut out a section following the gray "grout" lines in the pattern from under the fridge/dishwasher/stove. From the first picture from OP, that would be a two squares X two squares. That rectangle (in this case) would be securely taped in place above the damaged spot. Using the harvested piece as a template, the installer would hold his SHARP razor knife at an 88° angle and cut out the damaged section. (The angle is varied based on the thickness of the cutting tool - as you may figure out).

The 88° angle is intended to create a scarf joint so that the harvest will fit into the removed section. The thickness of the knife blade provides the offset so the two will fit.

When installing, seam adhesive should be used to help fill the joint level to help deter the buildup of dirt that would show the repair and a heavy roller would be used to help adhere the patch to the floor and to the side of the removed damage.

Takes some practice, and luck. If threatened by the 88° angle - simply cut on the perpendicular and use the harvest as the template and cut perpendicular - seam adhesive will still help hide the joint which will still look better along a design line rather that through one of the images.

Check the accompanying van Gogh for precise guidance (LOL). NOT TO SCALE - The angle is seriously exaggerated well beyond 88°.

 

A pro would cut out a section following the gray "grout" lines in the pattern from under the fridge/dishwasher/stove. From the first picture from OP, that would be a two squares X two squares. That rectangle (in this case) would be securely taped in place above the damaged spot. Using the harvested piece as a template, the installer would hold his SHARP razor knife at an 88° angle and cut out the damaged section. (The angle is varied based on the thickness of the cutting tool - as you may figure out).

The 88° angle is intended to create a scarf joint so that the harvest will fit into the removed section. The thickness of the knife blade provides the offset so the two will fit.

When installing, seam adhesive should be used to help fill the joint level to help deter the buildup of dirt that would show the repair and a heavy roller would be used to help adhere the patch to the floor and to the side of the removed damage.

Takes some practice, and luck. If threatened by the 88° angle - simply cut on the perpendicular and use the harvest as the template and cut perpendicular - seam adhesive will still help hide the joint which will still look better along a design line rather that through one of the images.

Check the accompanying van Gogh for precise guidance (LOL). NOT TO SCALE - The angle is seriously exaggerated well beyond 88°.
View attachment 748932

Thanks, but that sounds a bit too risky for me. My DIY skills are very limited, and I don't want to make the floor worse.
Initially, at least, I'll try to clean the slits and fill with seam sealer. I see it comes in colors so I'll try to match as well as possible. I know it'll still be noticeable but hopefully not as much.

 

This is probably a dumb question but here goes:

All the vinyl seam sealers I'm finding are clear. I found one that's a dark mahogany but that's not much improvement over the current black.
Are there any other caulks/puttys/sealants that I can use instead, that might come in colors?
Thanks.

 

Clear seems perfect. You will be able to see the pattern of your vinyl.
Use seam sealer. It is perfect. You do not want anything else.

 

I would use a kitchen cleaner and an old toothbrush to clean the slits. The bristles of a regular scrub brush may be too wide to get into such narrow groove. I would try filling the slit with white latex paint or a correction pen. If it's too white, use ultra-fine markers in the proper colors to touch up.

That said, if it were me, I would leave it in place, so as to not disturb any underlying asbestos, and I'd be looking for vinyl plank flooring to lay over the top.

 

I'll try a toothbrush, thanks. I haven't seen ultra fine markers in such light colors but I'll look more carefully.

Overlaying a new floor is a good idea but has a problem. My wife thinks that if we're going to get a new floor we should first replace our old dishwasher. And the countertop is old so we should replace that. While we're at it we might as well get a new stovetop. And with all that we might as well reface the cupboards and drawers. So a new floor would end up taking weeks and cost $15k or more. In light of that I'll try a toothbrush and bleach.

 

Low Gloss Seam Sealer plastic urethane DT-65 costs $44.92 plus $13.97 shipping on Amazon. There are a few other brands but I think one that says vinyl (not water) may be important.
I used something like this about 30 years ago. When it is applied it kind of chemically "melts" the vinyl then melds together so it doesn't have a seam after it is applied. I don't actually remember which brand I used. My vinyl was about 2 years old so I don't know if it only works on relatively new vinyl.

 

Low Gloss Seam Sealer plastic urethane DT-65 costs $44.92 plus $13.97 shipping on Amazon. There are a few other brands but I think one that says vinyl (not water) may be important.
I used something like this about 30 years ago. When it is applied it kind of "melts" the vinyl so it doesn't have a seam after it is applied. I don't actually remember which brand I used. My vinyl was about 2 years old so I don't know if it only works on relatively new vinyl.

That's pretty expensive for such a tiny slit, but it's a lot cheaper than a new floor -- especially with all the extra additions..

 

If it's that old and still in decent shape, it's doubtful it's vinyl. Most likely linoleum. Make sure the sealer stuff will work on linoleum, or confirm it's really vinyl, before you spend that kind of money on a fix.

My bad. I just looked back at the title and realized you know it's linoleum. It's made with linseed oil, not petroleum, like vinyl is, so what melts vinyl may not work on linoleum.

 

No, sorry -- I took a guess that it's linoleum, mostly based on the age. I don't know for sure, nor how to tell.

 

The dirt will be hard to clean all out. Linoleum seams were beveled under. They were not straight through cuts like vinyl.

 

I don't think the cuts are seams - the one shown is at an angle to the pattern. Looks like it was cut.

 

I tried a toothbrush but the bristles weren't stiff enough to abrade the dirt. So I found a stiffer brush but that didn't do it either. The slits are so narrow that I can't accurately get bleach into them without getting some on the floor. The last thing I want to do is make the problem more noticeable or cause more damage.

I'm starting to think that the black is either a floor backing or underlay. It just won't come completely out.

Testing a different approach, I brushed a little white-out in the slit. I couldn't confine it to the slit but was able to wipe off what got on the floor proper. That did lighten the black. So now I'm thinking about getting a super-thin brush and painting over the black, then using clear seam sealer to fill the rest of the slit. One advantage of that -- if I have the patience -- is that I could use a few different colors to match the pattern along the slit. It'll be tedious but might work, or at least improve it some.

 

You might want to test any prospective solution in a hidden place like under fridge before using it in an easily seen place.

 

Good idea, thanks.

 

new to the party... as most here know I am a total noob BUT I am a master at fixing/hiding ballsup's, there are basically only 3 things you can ever do, only 3

When I saw this I automatically thought of the massive vandalism scratch I had done to my car, as it's a black car I am also resigned to scratches being so visible no matter how small, it is like acid to my eye, your tile floor reminded me of that, a flowery pattern floor is like trying to hide a scratch on a pristine bonnet.

So Let's break it down (as I said this depends on a lot of things)

1> Replace
2> Repair
3> Hide

1> Replace:
Only 100% way that your eye is not drawn to anything is to replace, period end of story, (or in my case repaint the bonnet ) you mentioned asbestos and not wanting to do the work involved or time or something, ATEOTD 100% fix is replace , replace the tiles, replace the 2 or 3 tiles or how many with like for like, THAT IS IT, no come backs

1a> Replace 2: (kinda)
Re:Tiling over the old tiling, you don't want asbestos to come through fine, put some stuff over it, if its Lino, roll another lino over it, if it's tile you can tile over it, I've seen backsplashes retiled, you can do it, how easy or hardwearing is another matter

1b> Replace 3: (kinda)
Take a picture, or get a hand scanner and scan it into a computer, print it on flexible plastic card, or even TSHIRT paper, then print it out cut it to size and using a clear contact cement paste the 3 or 4 tiles, you could use tshirt to hot iron to the tile (it is very difficult, take your time but it is possible and it is VERY hard wearing

2> Repair:
I think most of the usual things have been said, but you could try, getting some clear PPF and see if it makes it LESS obvious, the black is from the dirt so you need to clean it out

3> Hide:
There are so many ways to do this, this is the art of deflection, some ideas

• Decals
• Paint some of the tiles to make a pattern
• PUT SOMETHING ON IT LOL - chair, fridge, box, cat,
• Can you put a transition tread from one side to the other
• Paint the whole flor
• Epoxy the whole floor

I can give you more ideas but I'm looking at an enlarged pic of 3 tiles, is it just you who's seeing it, is it really noticeable from say standing position.

please take several pics, different views of the whole room and from a standing position, it could all just be in your head

Now as I said, I'm just a humble home tryer (not even a home diyer) I try pretty much everyone on this board has more experience, more sense and more professional than me, so please do feel free to ignore the above, but as I said I keep seeing the line in my car paint than even after a 4 stage machine poilish burns my eyeballs, no-one else really sees except me

 

new to the party... as most here know I am a total noob BUT I am a master at fixing/hiding ballsup's, there are basically only 3 things you can ever do, only 3

When I saw this I automatically thought of the massive vandalism scratch I had done to my car, as it's a black car I am also resigned to scratches being so visible no matter how small, it is like acid to my eye, your tile floor reminded me of that, a flowery pattern floor is like trying to hide a scratch on a pristine bonnet.

So Let's break it down (as I said this depends on a lot of things)

1> Replace
2> Repair
3> Hide

1> Replace:
Only 100% way that your eye is not drawn to anything is to replace, period end of story, (or in my case repaint the bonnet ) you mentioned asbestos and not wanting to do the work involved or time or something, ATEOTD 100% fix is replace , replace the tiles, replace the 2 or 3 tiles or how many with like for like, THAT IS IT, no come backs

1a> Replace 2: (kinda)
Re:Tiling over the old tiling, you don't want asbestos to come through fine, put some stuff over it, if its Lino, roll another lino over it, if it's tile you can tile over it, I've seen backsplashes retiled, you can do it, how easy or hardwearing is another matter

1b> Replace 3: (kinda)
Take a picture, or get a hand scanner and scan it into a computer, print it on flexible plastic card, or even TSHIRT paper, then print it out cut it to size and using a clear contact cement paste the 3 or 4 tiles, you could use tshirt to hot iron to the tile (it is very difficult, take your time but it is possible and it is VERY hard wearing

2> Repair:
I think most of the usual things have been said, but you could try, getting some clear PPF and see if it makes it LESS obvious, the black is from the dirt so you need to clean it out

3> Hide:
There are so many ways to do this, this is the art of deflection, some ideas

• Decals
• Paint some of the tiles to make a pattern
• PUT SOMETHING ON IT LOL - chair, fridge, box, cat,
• Can you put a transition tread from one side to the other
• Paint the whole flor
• Epoxy the whole floor

I can give you more ideas but I'm looking at an enlarged pic of 3 tiles, is it just you who's seeing it, is it really noticeable from say standing position.

please take several pics, different views of the whole room and from a standing position, it could all just be in your head

Now as I said, I'm just a humble home tryer (not even a home diyer) I try pretty much everyone on this board has more experience, more sense and more professional than me, so please do feel free to ignore the above, but as I said I keep seeing the line in my car paint than even after a 4 stage machine poilish burns my eyeballs, no-one else really sees except me

Thanks for all the suggestions. You're clearly a creative thinker!

I'm not claiming that the slits are blatantly obvious. The two smaller ones (not shown in the pics below) are only visible when you're within a couple feet of them looking down at the floor. The big one is easy to spot from within about six feet. You can see that it's in a place where I can't put anything over it, and it's high traffic.

Here's a couple pics of the floor from more of a distance. The slits are most noticeable when standing close to or right above them.

 

right off the bat, I can't see anything, it's not noticeable and I bet no-one else is seeing it (looks like you and me sir have the same illness CHRONIC OCD

the first thing that should hit somone coming into your kitchen is awesome smells, bread cookies bacon, distraction

1st thing comes to mind get a wider mat 2nd rule applies hide it, or get that mat but turn it around. that is simple and fast fix, if it looks odd, get another mat and do the same

or get a single piece CLEAR plastic mat and work it out in such a way that it covers from the sink to that area
and then put that rug back on, it will give the effect of having a high density walkway being protected

or replace 2 or 3 squares, maybe under the fridge there is enough material to do a cut and shut but I suspect any cutting and pasting will show a bump or a line, (is it lino) so I figure that will make it worse

dude hide it

more rugs

now invite me over for some bacon fresh bread and coffee and I'll show you how I would totally miss that line

 

reminds me of a ballsup I made, I spilt paint in my bedroom carpet.... went to the store and got a rug
hid it !

if you can't fix **** HIDE IT !!!

 

reminds me of a ballsup I made, I spilt paint in my bedroom carpet.... went to the store and got a rug
hid it !

if you can't fix **** HIDE IT !!!

Something clever

 

I saw an epoxy at HD today by JB Weld. It was about $22 for about 1 ounce. You may want to check this.

 

Thanks, I have used a couple JB Weld products, mostly the tube putty. I'll take a look.

 

Linoleum backing is generally black. That may be what you are seeing.

 

I had come to suspect that, because I can't get rid of all the black. Thanks.

 

another thing I'm thinking, glue is not going to help, let me explain, you have a cut a cut by definition means that the "thing" has had a blade or something go through it and destroy material (the thickness of the blade) the THINNER the blade the less obvious the cut...

Hit it with a cold chisel thick cut use a surgeons scalpel thinner. You HAVE to make those two pieces come together with the glue. You can't do that as it stands you have to put something under the lino to bring it up, or suck it up using some kinda vaccum device, not only lift but pull both pieces together and hold while it dries. any glue you just put in there, the mark will still show, you will still see a line. Even if you cut it out, you will still see a square or rectangle faintly, I mean there are some tricks you can do, but that is not going to be an invisible repair.

There isn't anything you can do easily to hide that, OH if your worried about water damage or something, put some glue, boom fine, but your trying to not see it. not going to happen.

I re-looked at those pictures, and it isn't noticeable to any sane person and more importantly no-one is going to care, now me being a mental case (still waiting for your invite for hot bread and cookies) would point that out to you in a flash I'd say something like "Jeez man how do you get that god awfull deep gash in your lino" but I suspect the majority of people who come to your house are not total full on nut cases like me !

If you OCD wont quit, JUST do what I suggested, TURN THAT BLOODY RUG AROUND LOLOLOLOL

I feel your pain man, not making light of anything, but sometimes we have to know when to cut our losses and run (sorry for the bad pun)
You lost this battle my friend, but I suspect you'll win the war in what is more projects around your house

 

I re-looked at those pictures, and it isn't noticeable to any sane person ...
If you OCD wont quit, JUST do what I suggested, TURN THAT BLOODY RUG A

You probably nailed the problem there -- it's been a long time since I claimed to be sane.

 

I've just spotted paint runs in my basement project and I'm either going to cut it with a knife and risk having to repaint the whole wall or hide it with stuff

(gonna hide it)

I spent months doing my DD's bedroom before she was born, making mistakes, re-painting re-doing, seeing errors, taht only I could see and after the 2nd month, I gave it up to me just being mental.

Despite ALL THE 100's of FLAWS, no-one ever noticed, even after pointing them out and saying "look over here can you see this" wifey just said "yes dear" and carried on LOL

 

You could try cleaning the slit with the unsharpened edge of a thin blade, such as the back side of a snap-off blade or utility knife blade.

 

Thanks, I did try that. The problem is that anything that is thin enough not to widen the slit is so thin that it doesn't pull out the debris. And anything that is wide enough to pull out the debris tends to widen the split.

When I say "debris" I don't mean that in the typical sense. It's not little bits of dirt, etc. It seems to be a stain right in the floor material, I assume from many years of buildup.

I've concluded, as other posters have suggested, that I just live with it. Thanks though!