Oklahoma City Flooring Repair: A Homeowner's Guide
Your floors get a lot of use. Not only do they support everything in your home, including furniture, pets, and people, but they also stand up against constant foot traffic. Naturally, this daily wear means that it's normal for your floors to need a little TLC from time to time—like anything in your home. Stains, scuff marks, and dents are just a few of the types of damage that may affect your floors. When you notice these issues, it's important to hire a flooring repair expert right away.
While you might think you could put a rug over a small scratch or chip and call it a day, these sorts of small problems could actually become huge issues very quickly. Besides, damaged flooring detracts from your home's aesthetic appeal. Even small chips and dents will weaken the surfaces enough that the damage spreads. This could cause bigger problems, such as issues with moisture infiltration. Also, some flooring materials—like tile—are very sharp when broken. If a loved one stepped on the broken tile, they could get injured.
If you need flooring repairs, don't worry. There is a solution: the experts at Mr. Handyman of North Oklahoma City and Edmond have the expertise, experience, and skills you need to both repair and replace your flooring. Our trusted Oklahoma City handyman team will provide a range of repair services, install a variety of flooring options, and help keep your floors in tiptop condition.
Flooring Repair in Oklahoma City, OK: Common Problems
If you're reading this blog, then it's unlikely that your floors are in perfect condition. Even if you just had new flooring laid or moved into a new build, it's only a matter of time before your pets leave a scratch, furniture leaves scuff marks, or you spill something that leaves a stain. Even the strongest types of flooring can get damaged. However, different materials have different advantages and disadvantages. To help you take the best care of your floors as possible, we've outlined some common repairs in Oklahoma City, broken down by material type.
Hardwood Flooring Repairs
One of the most popular flooring styles in many Oklahoma City homes, well-cared for hardwood floors can last more than a century. It also creates a timeless appearance that evokes elegance. A main benefit of hardwood is that it's very durable and easy to clean. But a drawback is that it scratches very easily. If you have pets, your hardwood surfaces will get scratched. However, with a little maintenance, your hardwood areas can look good-as-new. hardwood can be sanded and refinished many times over the years. While this is a big project, it will disguise any wear on your floors and refresh the overall appearance of your space. In fact, there are many repairs our team of service professionals can help with:
- Sun-bleached patches: Any parts of your hardwood floors that are often exposed to sunlight will bleach over time. This is a subtle problem for many people in Oklahoma City, so you may not notice it happening immediately. At least, not until you move furniture or a rug and notice the difference between areas that have not been exposed to sunlight and those that have. Refinishing is an excellent solution to this problem.
- Buckling boards: Hardwood that is properly cared for can last more than 100 years in Oklahoma City. Unfortunately, this material can be easily damaged by water. It will buckle when flooded or exposed to significant moisture over time—such as in poorly ventilated rooms. The best fix for buckling boards is to replace them entirely.
- Sprucing-up worn areas: The areas of your home that get a lot of foot traffic will start to wear down. Like sun-bleached areas, you'll notice the difference especially when you move furniture, when the well-preserved areas that have not received a lot of foot traffic are still their original color. The good news is, sanding and staining your floors will give worn areas a new lease on life.
- Scratches: Hardwood that has been scratched looks ugly and can detract from your home's overall aesthetic. With help from the team at Mr. Handyman of North Oklahoma City and Edmond, you can expertly refinish your hardwood surfaces and stain any areas that have been scratched.
- Gouges: Deeper than a light scratch, if your floors are gouged then sanding and staining them likely isn't enough to fix the issue. However, one of our trusted technicians can fill the gouged areas with wood putty and carefully cover the affected area with stain. If your floors are seriously damaged, then replacing broken and gouged planks may be a more sensible solution than Oklahoma City floor repair services.
Tile Flooring Repairs
There are many tile options for homeowners to choose from, which makes this material very popular for Oklahoma City homeowners. Notably, many homeowners opt for clay-fired materials like ceramic and porcelain, and quarried tile like slate and limestone. However, even though most types of tile are very durable and hold up well over time, they can still get damaged. Replacing a broken tile is fairly straightforward, but it does require an expert touch to make sure it gets done right the first time. Common problems with tile include:
- Cracks and dents: Do you have cracked, chipped, or dented tiles in your home? Then they need to be replaced immediately. These seemingly small problems may not seem like a huge deal, but they will get worse as time goes on. Also, although tiles are water-resistant, they lose this quality when damaged. Subsequently, moisture may seep into your subfloor. This will cause issues with mildew and wood rot.
- Uneven tiles: There is no quick repair for this problem, as it's usually a sign of improper installation. The only way to fix uneven tiling is to replace the uneven area. Tile installation is a highly technical skill, so it's always best to leave it to the professionals—such as the expert team at Mr. Handyman of North Oklahoma City and Edmond.
- Worn/outdated grout: Replacing old grout could completely transform your tiled surfaces, without having to replace any of the tile. The older your tiled areas are, the more stains, dirt, and mildew will infiltrate the grout lines. By replacing just the grout, you avoid the stress and expense of replacing all the tiles, while improving your home's appearance.
Laminate Flooring Repairs
A popular option for homeowners who like the look of hardwood but not the hassle, this material is made of four synthetic materials that are fused together during the lamination process. These layers are topped with a photo applique to emulate the look of hardwood or tile. Laminate is highly durable and scratch-resistant, which makes it a fantastic material for homeowners looking for something low maintenance that will wear well over the years—especially if you have pets. However, when exposed to liquids, laminate could buckle and bubble. There are a few other problems that our hardworking Oklahoma City handyman team will repair:
- Stains: Liquids are laminate's greatest weakness. This material can be easily stained if spills are not cleaned up promptly. While it is possible to replace only a section of laminate, it's best to avoid staining, and avoid the need for flooring repairs, by promptly cleaning up spills and messes.
- Faded colors: Sunlight may fade some kinds of laminate. Unlike hardwood, these areas cannot be stained back to their original color. To maintain an evenly colored floor, affected areas will need to be replaced. Our flooring professionals will help install a range of materials.
- Lifting boards: There are a few reasons why laminate boards may lift in Oklahoma City homes. However, it typically comes down to either improper installation or moisture beneath the floorboards. Laminate naturally expands and contracts as temperatures change. When it's not installed correctly, its boards may lift during this expansion/contraction process. Moisture also causes boards to lift. Sometimes lifting boards can be repaired by being hammered back into place, but often the solution means replacing the lifting areas entirely.
- Bubbling and buckling: A sure sign of moisture damage, bubbling and buckling is not an easy fix. It could be caused by moisture beneath the boards, but often is the result of a flood, a spilled liquid that was not cleaned up quickly enough, or poor ventilation. Buckling and bubbling boards will need to be replaced.
Vinyl Flooring Repairs
Did you know vinyl was invented in the 1930s? During the 1950s, it quickly became one of the most popular materials used in American homes. The material has come a long way since the 1950s. These days, vinyl can look nearly indiscernible from wood or natural stone and is as popular as laminate. Made from plastic, this type of flooring is inexpensive, low maintenance, and durable. However, it is very difficult to repair when damaged. A service professional at Mr. Handyman will assist with a wide variety of problems:
- Peeling, cracking, and crumbling along edges: If your home has older vinyl, then it might start to peel at the edges and crack. Oklahoma City flooring repairs won't be able to solve this problem. Instead, the damaged areas will need to be replaced. This could be an opportunity to upgrade to material like luxury vinyl tile or luxury vinyl plank.
- Discoloration: Depending on how old the vinyl in your home is, it may discolor when exposed to sunlight. Modern vinyl tends to maintain its original color because it includes a UV protectant coating. However, older materials may not have this additive. It's not possible to replace sections of vinyl because it's glued to your subfloor. Thus, if you want to get rid of fading the entire area will need to be replaced.
- Gouges: Vinyl is highly resistant to most types of damage in Oklahoma City, such as light scratches and scuffs—which can be easily buffed out. However, if serious damage like gouging occurs, the fix is not so simple. As mentioned above, vinyl is glued down to your subfloor, so typically any issues indicate that the material needs to be replaced.
Our Oklahoma City Flooring Repair Services
Our qualified technicians possess years of experience in the trades. Whether you need help with laminate floor repair or want to install a new material, you can rely on our pro team. We provide a range of quality services to homeowners throughout the Oklahoma City area.
Laminate and Vinyl Floor Repair and Installation
From replacing outdated vinyl to repairing a damaged laminate plank, our hardworking service professionals can do it all. We'll ensure you have a positive experience with our company from start to finish, by providing outstanding workmanship and customer service.
Hardwood Floor Repair, Floor Refinishing, and Installation
When your beautiful hardwood floors need to be refinished to get them looking as good as new, call the pros at Mr. Handyman of North Oklahoma City and Edmond. We have the tools, expertise, and skills to tackle a wide range of hardwood flooring projects and are highly skilled at refinishing hardwood surfaces.
Tile Installation and Repairs
The team at Mr. Handyman of North Oklahoma City and Edmond can complete a range of tile repairs, including replacing old grout and replacing broken tiles. We can also install a range of tile materials. Whether you want to remove outdated carpets and replace them with ceramic tile, or you want to update your kitchen backsplash, we can help. Our experienced team can even install quarried materials like slate, which requires a reinforced subfloor.
Hire Our Oklahoma City Flooring Repair Experts Today!
Trust the experts at Mr. Handyman of North Oklahoma City and Edmond for all your flooring repair and replacement needs. We can fix or replace nearly any type of damage. Not only do we provide high-quality services, but our courteous technicians are honest and transparent. Customer satisfaction is always our top priority.
We invite you to give our friendly customer service representatives a call to get started on your next home improvement project in Oklahoma City. Our expertise includes flooring repair, drywall repair, porch repair and much more.