[DoIHaveTo]

[Edit, it's Engineerd Plank not Laminate!]

Hi, can water damage to laminate flooring be repaired? An area of around 4x4 has discoloured (mainly at the edges of each piece) and in some places the topcoat/varnish has come away. It's a large room so I don't want to replace the whole floor. Can I lightly sand by hand, stain and recoat? What tips to match the colour with the rest of the floor? What should I recoat/seal with? The source of the water damage has been fixed, so don't need any advice on that. I didn't lay the laminate, so I don't know what brand or any of the details. I have one piece of what was originally laid, have added photos (in case it's not laminate?)

 

[Windows on Wash]

That doesn't appear to be laminated to my eye. That would require sanding and refinishing. Doable, but will require some proper tools and technique.

 

[DoIHaveTo]

Thanks for the reply - it is laminate. I have one piece of the original that was left here when I bought the place. I will add a photo.

 

[XSleeper]

Doesnt look like laminate to me either. By the cracks and rounded edges I would say it's a prefinished engineered plank. The aluminum oxide finish has probably failed from the water. You could try to lightly scuff sand the white edges by hand with 150/180/220 grit, then apply a matching stain.

The clearcoat will be a little hard to blend in, because you have no place to start and stop without doing the whole floor. You would need to mask off individual planks to hide where you brushed on a new finish and where you didnt.

Most prefinished floors can be completely sanded and refinished, which would probably be your best long term option.

 

[DoIHaveTo]

This is great - I'm learning 🙂 thank you Windows on Wash & XSleeper! This also helped me https://youtu.be/DnDNrFGHLtY. Maybe I can sand off the whole top coat plank by plank and restain. I have never been very successful in colour matching in the past. Maybe a job for a pro 😞

 

[huesmann]

Looks like engineered plank to me too. You can see the ply. You may be able to sand off the finish and refinish, but you'd probably need to do the entire floor, not just the damaged boards. Unless you DGAF about color/finish matching.