Floating floor repair
At Pisos Pro Medellín we repair laminate and SPC floors: lifted planks, water-swollen boards, open joints, scratches and spots that sound hollow. We find the cause first and then repair, so the damage does not come back a few months later.
We serve apartments and offices across the Aburrá Valley and Eastern Antioquia (Oriente antioqueño), even if another company installed the floor. As flooring specialists with more than 15 years of experience and over 900 jobs behind us, we can often replace only the damaged planks without taking the room apart.
Every repair has three parts: diagnosing the cause, repairing or replacing pieces, and correcting the installation. If a plank lifted because the floor had no expansion gap, replacing it without opening up the perimeter only postpones the problem.
When damage covers most of the room, we compare the cost with a new laminate floor and present you with both options.
They appear when the floor lacks an 8 to 10 mm perimeter expansion gap, when a kitchen island or closet pins it down, or when the baseboard was nailed into the floor. We free the perimeter, remove whatever is locking it and, on long runs, add an expansion transition strip.
The HDF core absorbs water and swells at the edges, and it does not return to shape when it dries. We replace the planks, confirm with a moisture meter that the subfloor is dry and help you trace the source: washing machine, fridge with water dispenser, window or a neighbor's bathroom.
We fill them with melted hard wax and putty in several shades, blended until they match the grain. If the impact went through the decor layer in a very visible spot, replacing the plank is the better option.
An open joint is closed with a tapping block and mallet if the click lock is intact and the cause was unevenness or floor shrinkage. If the tongue has snapped, the plank gets replaced.
Direct sun through the floor-to-ceiling windows common in El Poblado towers heats SPC and makes it expand and contract every day. If it was laid without enough expansion space or without transitions on long runs, joints open in the afternoon; we free the perimeter and suggest curtains or solar window film.
There is almost always a low spot in the subfloor under the underlayment. We lift the area, correct it with self-leveler or patching compound and reinstall, as we explain under subfloor repair.
If the damaged plank is near a wall, we disassemble from there and swap it while keeping the original click joint. If it is in the middle of the living room, we use the cut-out method: with a plunge saw set to the exact depth, we cut the plank into strips and remove it without touching its neighbors.
The new plank has the bottom lip of its groove trimmed so it can drop in from above, gets glued along the edges with floating floor adhesive and stays weighted for several hours. Done right, the repair cannot be seen or felt underfoot.
The procedure is the same for SPC, using an adhesive compatible with PVC, because white wood glues do not grip well on that core.
Laminate and SPC lines leave the market every few years, and even within one product the shade varies by batch. The first step is looking for leftovers: there are often boxes in the storage unit (depósito) or utility room.
Without leftovers, we take planks from hidden spots, such as inside closets or under a built-in bed, move them to the visible area and put a similar product in the hidden spot. If no option looks right, we tell you honestly: sometimes it is better to replace an entire room and finish at the doorway with a transition strip.
In that case we quote you a new SPC floor or a laminate that blends with the rest of the home.
Laminate is an HDF board topped with a printed paper sheet that imitates wood, covered by melamine with aluminum oxide. That decor layer is a fraction of a millimeter thick, and a sander cuts through it in seconds, exposing the brown board underneath.
SPC works the same way, with a printed film protected by a PVC wear layer that is usually between 0.3 and 0.55 mm. With either material, scratches are filled or the plank is replaced, but it is never sanded or crystallized like stone.
Be wary of anyone offering to polish a laminate floor: what they actually apply is a shine product that forms a slippery film and dulls over time.
If you supply the replacement planks, we only charge for labor. These are reference figures in Colombian pesos, and the final price is confirmed after we see the floor.
| Repair type | 2026 reference | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Replacing 1 to 3 planks | From COP $180,000 per visit and repair | Diagnosis, cut-out or disassembly replacement, and adhesive |
| Filling scratches and chips | From COP $180,000 per visit | Color-matched waxes and putties |
| Fixing expansion gaps and peaking | Based on linear meters of perimeter | Perimeter trimming, transitions and reinstalling baseboards |
| Water-swollen area (several m²) | Based on m² affected | Removal, verified drying and replacement |
| Reinstalling with a new floor | Laminate COP $65,000 to $120,000 per m²; SPC COP $85,000 to $170,000 per m² | Material, labor and removal of the damaged floor |
No. When wet, the HDF fibers expand and break the resin bond that keeps them compact; once dry, the edge stays raised and weaker.
Drying with a fan only helps you assess how many planks can be saved, and the swollen ones have to be replaced.
Yes. Fine scratches that do not go through the wear layer are concealed with fill wax, while those exposing the gray core are filled with color-matched putty or solved by replacing the plank.
To prevent them, see our guide to laminate and SPC floor care.
Usually not. Laminate and SPC warranties cover manufacturing defects and wear under the stated use, and they exclude standing water, leaks and flooding; check the terms for your product.
Our 1-year labor warranty does not cover water damage either, but it does back the repairs we make.
Replacing one to three planks usually takes half a day, including the time the glued plank stays weighted. Fixing the expansion gaps in a whole apartment can take a day, because the baseboards have to be removed and reattached.
If there was water, replacement waits until the subfloor gives a dry reading.
Yes. We inspect the full installation and tell you in writing whether the cause was the installation, the material or the use, so you can file a claim with the right party.
Take one wide photo of the room, one close-up of the damage and, if you have it, one of the label on a leftover box. Send them by WhatsApp and we will give you initial guidance before scheduling the visit.
Our repairs are backed by a 1-year labor warranty.
Is the damage in the subfloor or caused by moisture rather than the laminate itself? Our floor repair page explains how we diagnose each case.
Pisos Pro Medellín
Tv. 6 #45-115, El Poblado, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
Monday to Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.