Q: Hi Gil...

I have a home improvement chat question for you! ... one year ago we had new linoleum (the old fashioned rolled kind) put down in our kitchen... this lovely terra cotta color... oops, I mean colour... and it looks very lovely...

... one day, I turned on the wrong burner on the stove... by the time I noticed that I had full heat on a Pyrex pie plate it was too late... BANG! ... little bits of Pyrex flew everywhere... and do you know they actually left burn marks here and there all over the floor?

... is there a way to repair this?

Thanks, Aarifa

A: As your flooring is new, Im guessing you have vinyl roll. The burn marks can be patched if you have, or can get some pieces of the same material. It's like patching wallpaper. Place a piece larger than a burn mark over the burn mark, match up the pattern and firmly tape down the patch. Using a sharp blade, cut through new and old together, well beyond the damaged area. Use a straight-edge to keep the blade vertical while cutting because leaning the blade may cause a gap in the patch.

Match pattern, tape and cut.

Glue and fit patch.

Match pattern, tape firmly and cut vertically.
Clean the cut-out, apply adhesive and set patch.

Remove both pieces, clean the floor in the cut-out area and then dry-fit the patch. If you've matched and cut accurately, apply adhesive to the floor with a notched glue packet (or a V-notched trowel if the area's large enough). Set the patch in place and firmly press it down, forcing excess glue toward the edges and wipe clean. Use a hand roller or rolling pin to work out any bubbles, and weight down the patch until the adhesive dries.

If you have clusters of burn marks, patch them in groups.

Good luck!