Laminate flooring can melt if exposed to extreme heat or fire such a dropped match. If you have a burn mark in your laminate, it is possible to fix it. Here are some steps that can help.

Replace the tile

Traditionally, laminate flooring consisted of large sheets of laminate. However, a lot of contemporary laminate is installed in small tiles rather than large sheets. In some cases, the tiles are square, but in other cases, they are shaped to mimic planks of wood. If the burn is on a tile, remove it. You may need to pry it loose with a screw driver. Thoroughly remove any old bits of flooring or adhesive. Then, stick a new bit of laminate in its place.

Patch the laminate

If the laminate is not in a tile pattern, you may be able to patch the burn. To remove the burned area, use a knife to cut out the affected tile. Try to cut in an oval pattern — that shape hides the patch the best. Then, cut a patch from a new sheet of laminate flooring. Again, you need to make sure you fully remove any adhesive or other debris from the area. Put some glue on the patch and adhere it in place.

Paint and cover the burn

Patching is typically only necessary for large burns. If you have small burns in your laminate flooring, you may want to try this technique. Grab some steel wool and start scrubbing at the burn mark. Try to rub the steel wool up and down along the grain of the laminate. Going against the grain will make the mark more noticeable. Basically, you are trying to get the burned area (where there is missing or melted laminate) to blend in with the rest of the area.

If there is a design or a colour on your laminate, that may be effaced with the steel wool. In these cases, you can use acrylic paint or even nail polish to repaint the pattern on the laminate. Let that dry fully, and then grab some clear polyurethane finish or clear nail and start painting that over the scratch. This process can take a long time because you are essentially making a patch out of the clear polyurethane. Paint several layers until the layers are the same level as the rest of the flooring. After the last coat dries, you may need to slightly sand the area to make everything level.