# Pergo water damage replacement



## Sol (Jan 5, 2007)

Hi all! Great forum!

I had a small flood in my condo affecting the bathroom, hallway and a portion of the living room. I have Pergo floors and have been told by a friend that it's not possible to replace the portions of Pergo (because it's glued together) that were damaged by the water and that I'll basically have to re-do the entire condo. Is this true? It doesn't make sense to me that you can't just pull out the flooring that was affected. If this were the case, you could potentially have to replace everything because something happened to 1 plank....

Thanks for your replies.


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## redline (Mar 5, 2006)

Are the floors glued to the subfloor or are the planks glued together.


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## Sol (Jan 5, 2007)

I believe they're glued together, not to the floor, but I'll have to double check when I get home.


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## Zero Punch (Nov 15, 2005)

Pergo is a floating floor it should not be adheared to the substrate. It is possible to remove a board or an area of Pergo that is damaged but is not for the do it yourselfer. So depending on the amount of damage it may be possible to replace the flooded areas. I would look for a Pergo certified installer/dealer you should be able to find one in your area through Pergo's web site.


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## MoldBuster (Jan 18, 2007)

First and foremost you want to make certain there is no water trapped underneath or you will be calling me or somebody like me. Mold growth can happen pretty quickly in a situation like this. Pergo is a floating floor and there is a vapor barrier underneath. This vapor barrier acts as a moisture trap. If the flood was professionally remediated, the remediation company would have used a specialized drying system that injects hot dry air in large volumes underneath the floor. If this wasn't done, there is a good chance you have a problem.


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## eriecat49 (Feb 21, 2007)

I have a similar water problem with pergo flooring - leaking dishwasher and whoever installed the floor put no barriers in place so water has leaked under the floor and into the vapor barrier underneath. I am curious why you say that this is not a dyi project. Other sites I have searched seem to indicate that removing the flooring is not difficult. Another question I have is whether or not the flooring planks can be replaced once they have dried out or is it necessary to replace the planks once they have gotten wet?


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## MoldBuster (Jan 18, 2007)

Removing the flooring is definitely a DIY project, as is re-installing. Whether you *can* re-install the flooring will depend on whether it is a click lock or glue down and whether the floor has buckled or swelled or has any growth on it. With glue down, it is pretty hard to tear it out without damaging every plank. If you can get a clean edge then you should be able to replace the damaged/flooded section...though getting planks to fit back into a staggered edge is a major pain in the @ss. You DO want to make sure the decking underneath is properly dried or you will have a potential mold nightmare on your hands...I've seen it more than once. Typically with vinyl or Pergo in a flood situation, we specify a tear out since it is near impossible to dry completely otherwise.


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## spiritangel (Sep 4, 2011)

*pergo floor*

Hi! As a result of Hurricane (aka tropical storm) Irene, I lost electric for 5 days. I recently renovated my basement and had pergo flooring installed in the kitchen area. Unfortunately, I forgot there was a 16 lb. bag of ice in the freezer part of the fridge and it leaked onto the pergo floor. By the time I realized it, the water had already dried up and I can see that the floor has some water stains in places where the water had been sitting. I came onto this site to ask how I could clean the floor but, after reading these blogs, I am now also concerned about the possibility of mold underneath the floor and possible damage to the moisture barrier.
All advice welcomed.
TY


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## woodman58 (Aug 22, 2010)

First of, I would call your insurance co. They will normally cover water damage of this nature (pipes, stool leaks, refrig, etc.). If it is a glue together pergo unless you have alot left over you will not be able to match it. They have changed most everthing as to the constuction of it. If you have enough floor left you may be able to find a pergo installed that still has the router bit and splines to fix you problem. If you have enough floor left PM me I think I still have the bit and splines somewhere.


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## jcrack_corn (Jun 21, 2008)

some of these answers are lol.

OP, cut out the old boards (cut about an inch from the seams)....pry the middle out, then you can pull off the edges.

clean the old tongues and grooves left on the floor.

on the new piece you must cut off the bottom part of all the groves, and you must cut off the tongue, and dado under that edge. ( so now you have a "ledge going all around the board.

for whats on the floor, the tongue sections are fine, on the grove ends you need to glue in tongues now. (so you will end up with ALL tongues on the floor, and on replacement piece you will have a ledge all around).

now just glue in.

its not hard, it simply takes time, and it is definitely a DIY job as long as you have the knowledge (lol to the posters suggesting it is even possible to fit a tongue and grove board back in, LOL, dont reply if you dont have a clue).


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## ttr13r (Jul 27, 2011)

Pergo is a brand name of laminate. Laminate is a click, floating floor. That being said, the click part should not be glued at all. Tongue in groove is an engineered flooring, glue down, (Looks very similar to click. It is real wood layered over plywood layers). Some people confuse the terminology of these floors, easy to do, not a problem unless things are not clarified and understood completely as to what you actually have or are talking about. A Pergo LAMINATE, can be repaired relatively easily yourself. But I would absolutely call Pergo or get hold of installation directions for your floor before you do anything. One more thing...laminate does not do well with water exposure. It will be ruined.


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## woodman58 (Aug 22, 2010)

ttr13r you must not have been doing flooring very long. All of the original laminates were glued together and pulled tight by special clamp made for this type of installation. The glue oozed out of the joints and had to be cleaned off. It was a time consuming process. Pergo was the first one to come to the USA in 1994.


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## jcrack_corn (Jun 21, 2008)

ttr13r said:


> Pergo is a brand name of laminate. Laminate is a click, floating floor. That being said, the click part should not be glued at all. Tongue in groove is an engineered flooring, glue down, (Looks very similar to click. It is real wood layered over plywood layers). Some people confuse the terminology of these floors, easy to do, not a problem unless things are not clarified and understood completely as to what you actually have or are talking about. A Pergo LAMINATE, can be repaired relatively easily yourself. But I would absolutely call Pergo or get hold of installation directions for your floor before you do anything. One more thing...laminate does not do well with water exposure. It will be ruined.


your post puts me on the verge of head asplode.

1. laminate has nothing to do with a "click, floating floor." It refers to the composition of the materials.
2. "tongue in groove" is something on late night TV. "Tongue and groove" is a method of joining wood that has been around for several thousand years. It has nothing to do with "engineered" flooring (which is also a type of laminate, just not the way we use the word "laminate"....confusing huh?)
3. Some people confuse the terminology of these floors, easy to do, not a problem unless things are not clarified and understood completely as to what you actually have or are talking about.
:thumbup:


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## ManxMania (Nov 9, 2011)

Sorry to bring this case back to life, but...
I had Pergo flooring fitted throughout my house and unfortunately, 3 weeks later we had a flood in the bathroom which flowed to 3 other rooms within a short period of time.
The water would not have been there for more than 2 hours in total before we cleaned it all up. It has now been 6 weeks and don't see any signs of damage, do you think I may have gotten away with any damage considering the water was only there for around 2 hours and no problems as yet or does it take a few months to notice problems?

I had 2 flooring companies in to inspect: First company said that Pergo pour water on these floors and leave it to stand for 24 hours to test and we should have no problems. The other said the entire house needs to come back up and new floors fitted.

Just not sure if I am caught between a company who is honest or lazy and a company who wants to bleed my insurance and cause me more nightmares with moving furniture around, (again)...

Thanks in advance

Gary


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## ttr13r (Jul 27, 2011)

woodman58 said:


> ttr13r you must not have been doing flooring very long. All of the original laminates were glued together and pulled tight by special clamp made for this type of installation. The glue oozed out of the joints and had to be cleaned off. It was a time consuming process. Pergo was the first one to come to the USA in 1994.


You're absolutely right! I have not been doing flooring very long....certainly not when Pergo first came out and it was glued. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, or is it? Are we, or are we not on here to get advise, give advise and to learn something once in a while? So why the remark? At least I have the balls to say I absolutely embrace any learning or correction anyone may have. I also do have some good advice, albeit minimal, but I never claim to be an installer nor an expert, (as some construction guys I have met who clearly do bad installs, yet can't seem to listen when someone has good alternative information) I appreciate the information you supplied me with, thank you.


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## ttr13r (Jul 27, 2011)

jcrack_corn said:


> your post puts me on the verge of head asplode.
> 
> 1. laminate has nothing to do with a "click, floating floor." It refers to the composition of the materials.
> 2. "tongue in groove" is something on late night TV. "Tongue and groove" is a method of joining wood that has been around for several thousand years. It has nothing to do with "engineered" flooring (which is also a type of laminate, just not the way we use the word "laminate"....confusing huh?)
> ...


Why should your "head asplode"??? I was talking about differences between laminate vs engineered solely. I have come across people who confuse laminate with engineered. Simple as that. Sorry to "offend" you. By the way...the word is EXPLODE.... if I used wrong terminology i do appreciate your correction. Thanks!


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## Bors (Feb 23, 2012)

*Water Damaged Floor*

The first thing to do is call a professional restoration company in your area to give you a free estimate of your damage. You may not need to necesarily replace a portion of your water damaged floor, but have them dry it instead. The process may take several weeks, but thorough drying under the floor is very important. The floor may appear dry on the surface but have trapped moisture underneath, which will continue to damage new planks and cause mold. This link has more information: http://www.dalworthrestoration.com/water-damage-restoration/water-damaged-floors-repair


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