If you own a home in America, odds are there's vinyl flooring in at least one of its rooms. That likelihood is bound to continue: According to the Resilient Floor Covering Institute, an industry trade group, nearly 85 million square yards of the stuff were laid in new homes in 1994 - enough to nearly cover the island of Manhattan. And that doesn't include the vinyl floors added during remodeling. Vinyl, or resilient, flooring is so popular because it's affordable and durable. In fact, its pattern usually goes out of style long before its surface wears out. Vinyl flooring isn't indestructible, however. Sliding back a chair can snag and rip it (photo 1), while a dropped can and other sharp objects can easily gouge the material. And high heels are notorious for puncturing the toughest flooring if there's even the slightest void in the subfloor beneath it. Fortunately, repairing vinyl flooring is easy, and requires little more than a utility knife. We'll cover the techniques for repairing sheet vinyl and vinyl tile - the two major varieties of vinyl floor.

Here's where you begin. How you repair vinyl flooring depends on what kind you have and how it's damaged. With vinyl tile, the best approach simply is to replace marred tiles . With sheet vinyl, eliminating damage requires fusing the surface or patching in new material. Small cuts and scratches can be permanently fused with liquid seam sealer, a clear compound that's available wherever vinyl flooring is sold. Shower Curtain For Truck CamperClean the area with a soft cloth that's dipped in lacquer thinner, then squeeze in a thin bead of sealer. Vacuum Cleaners Green Bay WiAfter the sealer has dried, the repair will be virtually invisible. Homes For Sale On Pittsburgh Ave Erie PaFor tears or burns, you'll have to cut out the damaged area and glue in a replacement patch;

this type of work requires an extra piece of identical flooring and a technique called double cutting (which is covered in the next section. Installers often leave a few scrap pieces behind for just such an emergency. If there aren't any leftover pieces - and if the flooring isn't too old - you might find an identical piece at a flooring dealer. You can also lift a piece for your patch from inside a closet, under the refrigerator or in some other inconspicuous location. If you own a home in America, odds are there's vinyl flooring in at least one of its rooms. You can also lift a piece for your patch from inside a closet, under the refrigerator or in some other inconspicuous location. Universal Flooring, Counter, Cabinet and Furniture Repair Kit-Use with Wood, Laminate or Vinyl Easy to sand and stain Easily repair damage to your floors and furniture The Roberts Universal Repair Kit contains everything necessary to easily repair damage to your wood, laminate, and vinyl floors.

This repair kit can also be used on laminate counters, wood cabinets, moldings and furniture. The Roberts Universal Repair Kit contains five latex putties plus an empty container and spoon for custom mixing. Colors may be mixed to match any project and to achieve a perfect color match every time with the simple color blending system. Contains five latex putties Colors may be mixed to match any project Easy to sand, stainable, quick drying and no shrinking Use to repair wood floors, laminate floors and vinyl floors Also ideal to repair laminate counters, wood cabinets, moldings and furniture Made in Canada, safe to use Accepts top/clear coat finishes 3 Repair large crack? I have a crack 1/16" wide by 3" long in the cove of my butcher block kitchen counter top. Is product suitable for this kind of repair? 3 Can this product be used on vinyl leather like an office desk chair ? 2 Can this product be used on vinyl boat seat? I have repairs to make to vinyl boat seats, can this product be used on them?

2 Could this be used to repair chips in a ceramic tile floor?Squeeek-No-More®For Hardwood FloorsAKA: Counter-Snap® For hardwood floor repair Easy DIY installation with no special tools required. Works on both first floor or second floor repairs. Kits are now available for “at” the joist and “between” the joist repair. Affordably priced with kits starting as low as $9.95 (with 25 snap off screws included.) Recommended for hardwood floors and some softer, more cushiony vinyl floors. Order the “A” and “B” Combo Kit (CS-A/B) for only $17.95. It’s simple, it’s effective and it’s almost invisible! As you already know, squeaky floors can be maddening and it’s probably one of the most common and most annoying home owner complaints you’ll hear about. But one thing is certain...with Counter Snap even the most severe floor squeak can be cured in as little as 60 seconds by anyone who can use a power drill. All it takes is to locate the squeak, insert the patented “snap off” screw into the fixture, drill it down and let it snap off.

Things to know before you buy... There are now two Counter Snap screw systems. System A which works at the joist and System B which works between the joists. System A is also a perfect fastener for building decks without having to see screw heads on the surface of the decking. While both systems "A" and "B" use the same screw technology, each has its own depth control fixture and very unique screws. As you can see by the above views, the CS-A uses a longer screw with two different thread pitches and a deeper drill fixture. The CS-B kit (which actually uses the same screw as the Squeak-No-More) is somewhat shorter than the CS-A screw and requires a shallower fixture. The CS-B kit was designed for single layer flooring such as linoleum covered floors and hardwood flooring that may need re-attachment between the joists. From the outside, both Counter Snap fixtures look identical, so care should be taken not to mix up the fixtures and screws. Using the wrong screw with the wrong fixture may cause the screws to snap off prematurely or, not at all.

Counter Snap was designed for anyone needing the holding power of a #8 screw but cannot live with the repair hole any larger than a finishing nail. The following graphic shows how the Counter Snap 1/8" hole compares to a #6 and #8 screw hole sizes. With the Counter Snap system you actually achieve the maximum results with the smallest possible disruption to the repaired surface. The Counter Snap fixture automatically snaps the screw 1/4" inch below the floor surface so concealing the tiny hole requires only the smallest amount of matching filler. Minwax sells small putty sticks in various colors which are perfect for concealing the repaired area. Check out the videos below and see for yourself just how easy and fast it is to make your squeaky floors disappear. Here are some tips to help familiarize yourself with the difference between using an ordinary screw vs. the Counter Snap screw. You must remember that the counter snap screws are made to automatically snap-off when the speeding screw contacts the bottom of the depth fixture.

To achieve this, you need to use the appropriate fixture, set the drill to the highest torque setting and use the fastest drill speed available. If you drill too slow or stop before hitting the bottom, it may cause the screw not to snap off and just spin freely in the floor. When installing the screws, make sure the floor is compressed at the point of insertion. If you need to kneel down (away from the fixture while drilling) have someone stand straddling the fixture with their feet to assist you in the floor compression process. While pre-drilling is not always required, if you need to pre-drill, do not use a bit larger than 7/64" (2.7mm) as this may cause the screw to spin in place thus stripping out the hole. Before pre-drilling, we recommend trying to lubricate the screws with a little bar soap to aid in insertion. If you want to have a drill bit on hand when you make your repair, you can always purchase a 7/64" bit with your order. If you're a first time user, you might want to make a test repair in an inconspicuous area like under a piece of furniture or in a closet.