Fix damaged or curling seams in vinyl floor with vinyl adhesive and a seam-sealing kit.
Time An hour or less
ComplexityBeginner
CostLess than $20
Introduction
Stop tripping over that loose seam on your floor.
If you have an open seam in your vinyl sheet floor, don’t procrastinate. Foot traffic can wreck the vinyl’s exposed edges, making a good-looking repair impossible. Worse, water can seep into the opening, leading to subfloor damage.
Here, we’ll show you two ways to fix a loose seam. They’re simple DIY projects that you can do in just a few minutes. So stop tripping over that loose seam and making the problem worse. Pick up the supplies at a home center and fix the floor.
Start by inspecting the seam. Press the loose edges down to make sure they’ll still join to form a tight seam. If the seam closes neatly, you can make a nearly invisible repair using multipurpose vinyl adhesive and a seam sealing kit.
Before starting with the repair itself, vacuum out any grit under the vinyl—even a tiny grain of sand can create a pimple on the vinyl’s surface. Curl the vinyl back as you vacuum, but be careful not to kink or crack it. If the vinyl is too stiff to bend, soften it with heat from a hair dryer. You can leave most of the old adhesive alone, but scrape away loose spots. A putty knife bent in a vise makes a good scraper. It’s also a handy adhesive applicator.
For smaller repairs in vinyl flooring, like holes and burns, you’ll need a slightly different approach using a different repair kit.
Tools Required
- Putty knife
- Shop vacuum
- Straightedge
- Vise
Materials Required
- Masking tape
- Scrap plywood
- Seam sealing kit
- Vinyl adhesive
- Wax paper
Project step-by-step (3)
Step 1
Stick adhesive under the loose flooring
- Protect the floor with masking tape and apply an even coat of adhesive.
- After you spread the adhesive, rub down the seam with a block of wood.
- Use a wet rag to wipe away any adhesive that squeezes out of the joint.
- Then, lay wax paper over the seam, followed by a scrap of plywood. Weigh down the plywood with stacks of books or buckets of water. Leave the weights in place overnight or for at least 10 hours.
Step 2
Seal the seam with vinyl seam sealer
- Apply a bead of seam sealant over the seam.
- Sealant is available in gloss and satin versions to match your floor’s sheen.
- Hold a straightedge about 1/4 in. away from the seam to guide the applicator nozzle, but don’t get sealant on the straightedge.
Step 3
Cover the seam with a transition strip
- If the edges are damaged or the seam won’t close neatly on your vinyl floor, the best repair is a metal transition strip (pictured below) that completely hides the seam.
- Transition strips are available at home centers and hardware stores in various styles, lengths and finishes.
- Cut the strip to length with a hacksaw, then nail or screw it into place.
