Patching Damaged Wood Floors

By: Jeff Greef (Page 1 of 3)

Photos by : Jeff Greff

USE a sharp spade bit to bore a 1-in.-dia. hole through each end of every floorboard you have to replace.

MAKE A PLUNGE CUT through the flooring with a circular saw. Set the depth of the cut to equal the thickness of the floorboard. Cut two parallel kerfs to connect the holes.

CHISEL OUT THE edges of the old floorboard after prying out the center section, being careful to avoid the nails on the "groove" edge.

CHOP OFF THE tongue that protrudes from the end of the existing floorboard. Be careful not to split the flooring.

PLACE THE NEW FLOORBOARD upside down on top of a piece of scrap plywood and chisel off the lower lip along the grooved edge.

SLIP IN THE new piece at an angle, then check to be sure the tongue fits tightly into the groove in the adjacent floorboard.

SET THE NAILS BELOW the surface, then fill the holes with wood putty. Angling the nails greatly increases their hold-down power.

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How to Patch Strip Flooring

In this how-to video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows how to repair a hardwood-strip floor

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What You'll Learn:

Natural warmth and beauty make wood a favorite for floors. But when the topcoat finish wears through, the porous surface of the wood is open to stains-especially beneath dining room chairs, in front of a sink and in other high-traffic, high-spill areas.

Oil soap and all-purpose cleanser remove some stains, especially when the spill is fresh. But it's impossible to scrub out stains that have soaked into the wood fibers. And sanding only creates a depression in the floor that's more noticeable than the stain.

The only option is to cut out the stained floorboards and install new ones. We replaced a couple of boards from a standard 3/4-in.-thick x 21/4-in.-wide oak-strip floor using a drill, circular saw and sharp chisel.

To determine the exact width and thickness of the pieces you'll need, lift up a heat register or threshold and measure the exposed ends of the floorboards. You'll find hardwood flooring at a local millwork shop, lumberyard or floor-covering store.