I accidentally damaged the wooden panels in my rental apartment and urgently need a cost-effective solution to fix them. I've seen DIY videos where people just replace the panels, but I want to know the quickest and cheapest way to handle this since I don't want to get charged for it when I move out. Any advice? Here's a link to the damage I'm dealing with: [Image of the damage](https://imgur.com/TLRPQ3i).
3 Answers
I get that you want to avoid landlord issues, but I honestly think it’d help if you shared what actually happened first. You mentioned you dropped a toolbox—if you own up to it, your landlord might be more understanding than you think. Plus, it could open up a conversation about how to fix it.
To replace those floorboards properly, you’ll need some matching boards, which can be tricky if you don't have leftovers available. Usually, you have to pull them up from the nearest edge because they interlock. Honestly, if you don’t have any extras at home, it might save you time and hassle to just level with your landlord about it. They might have spare panels lying around anyway.
Unfortunately, if you don’t have spare flooring, there’s no easy fix. But if you have some basic tools and can find matching floorboards at Home Depot, you could do the replacement yourself. Just make sure to check if the boards are compatible with your existing floor!