Repair Inset for Nonpatterned Commercial Sheet Flooring

Repair Process

  1. Cut a triangle- or diamond-shaped repair piece, which will be less noticeable. All edges should be cut vertically.
  2. With the repair piece over the damaged area, place a square against one edge of it.
  3. Holding the repair piece without moving the square, score along the edges which are not butted to the square. Tip your knife slightly so the point of the knife is against the repair piece.
  4. Remove the repair piece without moving the square and cut the last side along the square. This cut will now be half the thickness of the knife blade away from the square, which will make the opening in the floor slightly smaller than the repair piece, assuring a tight fit.
  5. Cut through the middle of the damaged material and peel away from the substrate, being careful not to damage the edges. Clean residue of adhesive and backing from the substrate, apply adhesive to the back of the repair piece and bend the repair piece into position to locate the three points. Compress repair piece into the opening with a hand roller and roll thoroughly. Clean off any adhesive that might be on the surface.

To complete non heat-welded floors: 

  1. Burrs resulting at these cuts may be skived off with the back edge of a linoleum knife or sanded smooth with fine sandpaper followed by a few thin coats of floor finish.
  2. Burrs around insets can also be heat sealed with aluminum foil and an iron set at its hottest setting. Tape a small strip of heavy-duty aluminum foil over the inset with the dull side of the foil in contact with the vinyl. Smooth the foil with your finger to make the burrs visible. Using the tip of the iron, make several quick passes over each burr until the foil is flattened, indicating that the burr has been fused. Cool the foil with a damp cloth and remove it from the floor. Repeat the process if necessary. We suggest practicing with a piece of scrap material. 

To complete heat-welded floors: 

1. Hand route seams as recommended for the product being repaired.

2. Place a small piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil at the end of each seam (shiny side up). Start and stop heat welding on top of the aluminum foil. This will prevent the welding rod from bonding to the material at the non-routed areas.

3. Allow the welding rod to cool to room temperature and skive in two passes.

Updated on October 26, 2022