Water that reaches the core of a laminate plank does not dry back into shape. Swollen edges stay swollen, and weight, heat or time will not flatten them. What you can control is how fast the water comes out, how much of the floor you lose, and what the repair costs. Our laminate flooring collection runs from $1.33 to $4.54 per sq ft, and the tables below price a 400 sq ft replacement with removal, underlay and HST.
Quick answer: can laminate flooring that got wet be saved?
- Keep it: the spill was wiped up the same day, only the surface is marked, and the planks still sit flat.
- Patch it: a few boards swelled along their seams, the rest of the floor is flat, and matching boards from the same batch are available.
- Replace it: the planks soaked through, the edges are raised, or the floor feels soft underfoot.
Government of Canada flood cleanup guidance is blunt about soaked floors: "Flooring that has been soaked by flood water should be removed and discarded." Most other jobs come down to a patch or a full replacement, priced from two rates: $1.30 per sq ft for removal and $1.50 per sq ft for installation in a house.
The first day after laminate gets wet
Speed matters more than technique, because the quicker the floor dries, the less of it you lose.
Stop the source and clear the surface
Shut off the supply, or call a plumber if the leak is inside a wall, then get the standing water up with towels or a wet vacuum. Water that keeps feeding the floor spreads the swelling.
Dry the room, not just the planks
Move furniture off the wet area, lift rugs, and get air moving. The EPLF, the European laminate manufacturers association, is plain: "Remove spilled liquids and standing moisture immediately." Health Canada advises that "Your house and furnishings are less likely to grow mould if they are dried within 48 hours."
Dry what is underneath before new boards go down
A floor can feel dry while the subfloor stays damp, and new boards laid over that damp layer are exposed to the same moisture that ruined the first ones. Pull one swollen board at the edge of the damage, or lift a floor vent, and check below. Subfloor repair is priced after we see the floor.
The next day: make the call
Once it is dry, walk the floor in socks and look along the seams in low light. Flat boards with a surface mark can stay; boards with risen edges cannot.
Which laminate swelling is permanent
EGGER, one of the manufacturers in our catalogue, explains the cause: "Swelling along the edges is usually due to moisture penetrating the joints or surface of the boards from above", and adds that the moisture has to act on the boards for an extended period before it happens. EGGER builds its floors on "HDF core boards", meaning high-density fibreboard. EPLF guidance says raised edges on the long and cross sides of a plank "indicate permanent damage".
| What you see | What it means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Edges curling up along the seam | The core took in water and expanded | Permanent, so those planks get replaced |
| A peak at one seam with no leak anywhere | Movement at a tight joint, not water | See our guide to chronic laminate seam lifting |
| Dark staining along the joints | Water carried in through the seam | Replace, since the mark sits inside the board |
| Soft or springy planks underfoot | Core breakdown, usually with a wet subfloor | Replace the section and dry the subfloor first |
A swollen laminate floor cannot be sanded flat either. The EPLF's technical bulletin on laminate lifespan says it plainly: "The floor certainly cannot be sanded down and resealed." Solid hardwood is a different case, so its repair-or-replace arithmetic works out differently; our guide to cost to refinish hardwood or replace it runs those numbers. If your wet floor is engineered hardwood, see our page on water damage on engineered hardwood.
How to check for moisture trapped under the floor
- Press along the seams with your thumb. A seam that gives slightly may still be holding water.
- Tap from the dry area into the damaged area and listen for the note changing.
- Look behind the baseboard and drywall for a tide mark, especially below a dishwasher.
- Check the ceiling below, or the rim of a basement floor drain, for a stain on the far side of the subfloor.
- Measure the wet zone. That area drives every line of a quote.
Patch a few boards, or replace the floor?
- Patch when the damage is limited to a few boards in one area, the surrounding floor is flat, and the leak was stopped the same day.
- Replace when the damage crosses more than one room, the boards feel soft, or the boards came from a batch that is no longer produced.
The catch with a patch is the match. EPLF guidance is that "You will need a replacement element from the production batch original installed", and the new board must be acclimatised for "one week in the room where the floorboards are replaced". On a floor installed years ago, that batch is gone.
A patch also means taking the floor up "in rows starting from the nearest wall", gluing the new plank in, and weighing it down for at least 12 hours. If a stair or a cabinet run sits between the wall and the damage, a full replacement is simpler.
What laminate replacement costs in Toronto and the GTA
Three of the click-lock boards we stock, with box price, coverage and price per square foot:
| Product | Class, thickness and width | Box price | Coverage per box | Price per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egger EM7206 laminate | AC3, 8mm, 7.60" wide | $40.48 | 21.42 sq ft | $1.89 |
| Goodfellow Prag No.028 laminate | AC5, 12mm, 7-5/8" wide | $60.54 | 20.18 sq ft | $3.00 |
| Riche Heavy-Duty 8mm SPC vinyl plank | SPC, 8mm, 20mil wear layer | $59.00 | 16.55 sq ft | $3.56 |
Prices checked October 6, 2026. Every board above is in stock.
Labour, removal and the rest of the bill follow our standard quote steps:
- Measure the floor, then add 5% for cuts and waste.
- Divide it by box coverage and round up to whole boxes.
- Multiply the waste-adjusted area by $1.50 per sq ft for a house or basement, or $2.00 per sq ft in a condo.
- Multiply the original area, with no waste, by $1.30 per sq ft for removing a click laminate floor in a house or basement, or $1.60 per sq ft in a condo.
- Add underlay for laminate and engineered click floors at $50.00 per 200 sq ft roll.
- Add delivery, which depends on your postal code and is confirmed at quote, then 13% HST.
A 400 sq ft house with a click laminate floor coming out, priced with both laminate boards (delivery not included):
| Line | Egger EM7206 at $40.48 per box | Goodfellow Prag No.028 at $60.54 per box |
|---|---|---|
| Waste-adjusted area at 5% | 420 sq ft | 420 sq ft |
| Boxes, rounded up | 20 | 21 |
| Material | $809.60 | $1,271.34 |
| Installation at $1.50 per sq ft | $630.00 | $630.00 |
| Removal at $1.30 per sq ft | $520.00 | $520.00 |
| Underlay, 3 rolls | $150.00 | $150.00 |
| Subtotal | $2,109.60 | $2,571.34 |
| HST at 13% | $274.25 | $334.27 |
| Total with HST | $2,383.85 | $2,905.61 |
Before HST that is $5.27 per sq ft with the Egger board and $6.43 per sq ft with the Goodfellow board. A condo changes only the labour and removal lines: 420 sq ft at $2.00 comes to $840.00 instead of $630.00, and 400 sq ft of removal at $1.60 comes to $640.00 instead of $520.00. Those two changes add $330.00 before HST, taking the job to $3,278.51 with the Goodfellow board and $2,756.75 with the Egger board.
A 120 sq ft patch: the waste allowance brings the order to 126 sq ft, which is 6 boxes of Egger EM7206 at $242.88. Removal of the same 120 sq ft is $156.00, so the two lines come to $398.88 before HST. Installation on jobs under 300 sq ft is priced after viewing rather than at the standard rate.
Baseboard, quarter round and transition strips have their own trim rates, confirmed at quote. Stairs, door shaving, subfloor levelling and glued-floor or tile removal are quoted after we see the floor.
Which boards to put back after a leak
If the water was a one-off, an ordinary laminate is a reasonable replacement. The Egger EM7206 is an 8mm AC3 board at $1.89 per sq ft, and it is the board used in the patch example.
The Goodfellow Prag No.028 steps up to an AC5 12mm board at $3.00 per sq ft. The AC number is an abrasion rating: EGGER defines abrasion as "the wear of the abrasion layer due to mechanical influences." The EPLF notes that the levels of use for laminate also cover thickness swelling along element edges as a separate requirement. So a higher AC class tells you how the surface handles traffic; it does not turn the board into a waterproof product.
If the room is a kitchen, laundry or basement that has already taken water, the third option is a rigid SPC plank: the Riche Heavy-Duty 8mm is listed in our catalogue as waterproof, with a 20mil wear layer, at $3.56 per sq ft. Our comparison of flooring for basements and bathrooms covers the alternatives.
Wet-mopping and steam cleaning put water at the same seams a leak does. If that is how your floor got wet, our page on steam mopping laminate covers cleaning from here on.
Laminate flooring water damage FAQ
What should I do right after laminate gets wet?
Stop the water at its source, remove the standing water with towels or a wet vacuum, and start a fan and a dehumidifier.
Can swollen laminate planks be flattened again?
No, not once the core has taken in water. The EPLF describes raised edges on a plank as permanent damage, and a laminate surface cannot be sanded back the way solid wood can.
Is AC5 laminate flooring waterproof?
Not because of its rating. AC5 describes how well the top layer resists wear, and the Goodfellow Prag No.028 carries no waterproof claim in our product data. Swelling at the edges is tested as its own requirement, separate from abrasion.
Is AC3 or AC4 laminate flooring waterproof?
The class alone does not answer that. EGGER sets the bar for the word high, saying a floor described as "waterproof / watertight" must "be impermeable to water or other liquids, regardless of quantity and exposure time". An abrasion class does not test for that. For a wet-prone room, look at a product listed as waterproof instead, such as the Riche Heavy-Duty 8mm in our catalogue.
How long can a wet laminate floor sit before it has to come out?
Health Canada's flood cleanup guidance links a lower mould risk to drying within 48 hours, so aim to get the room and subfloor dry inside that window. Whether the boards can stay is a separate question: once the floor is dry, any plank with raised edges is a replacement.
Get a laminate replacement quote in Toronto and the GTA
Measure the room and the wet area, then request a quote with your room sizes and building type, and we will price either the patch or the full replacement.
Top Floorings Depot
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 1, Toronto, ON M1W 3K5
www.topfloorings.com
Call: 416-499-0117
Text: 416-770-8819