Step-by-Step

Use a framing square to mark and cut around the damaged area. Cut with a utility knife.

Lay the cutout on a piece of matching material and trace around it. Accuracy is essential for a good fit.

Guide your cuts with a framing square. Use a scrap of plywood to prevent scoring the surface underneath.

Clean the underlayment well, then test the patch for fit. If it is a bit too large, slightly sand the edges.

Apply adhesive to the new tile with a serrated spreader. Align one edge, matching the pattern, and lower the new section into place.

Wipe off adhesive that might have oozed up around the edges, then weight down the patch evenly for at least 24 hours.

Many resilient floorings tend to heal themselves. In fact, if you fill shallow scratches with floor wax, they probably will disappear in time. For deeper cuts, try compressing the edges by dragging a worn coin along them.

If the material has torn all the way through, lift the edges of the wound, scrape away any old adhesive, apply fresh adhesive, and stick them down again. For the repair to lie flat, you may need to sand one edge.

If a blister develops in your flooring, flatten it by making a clean cut through its center. Alternating edges, press down on one edge of the cut, work adhesive underneath the other edge, and apply weight.

Filling small holes in vinyl flooring is a tougher assignment, but one that can be done. The best and quickest way is to fill the void with a special seam-welding product offered by the manufacturer of the flooring. This product dissolves the vinyl then sets up again to complete the repair.

Another solution is to scrape flakes from a piece of scrap flooring and grind them into a powder. Mix the powder with clear lacquer or nail polish to make a puttylike paste. Work the paste into the hole, packing it well and mounding slightly to compensate for shrinkage. After the paste dries, sand the repair and wax according to the manufacturer's directions.