HOW TO
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Patching A Hardwood Floor
By Rich Prewitt
Whatever the circumstance, the time may come when you need to replace some boards in your home's
hardwood floor. Unless refinishing the entire floor is a possibility, the only option you may have
is to replace the damaged board and blend the repair into the rest of the floor.
The following steps explain how to complete a small floor repair and when complete the repair is
virtually undetectable. The key to a successful job is patience. Rushing through the repair could
easily cause the repair to become larger than it should be.
Before you begin: Measure the width of the flooring and call around (see below) to find the right
size and type of wood. Older homes will have a tighter grain to the wood than new flooring products.
My suggestion is to find the replacement stock first then complete the repair. Test your stain on a
sanded throwaway piece of the same replacement stock.
Photos and step-by-step description courtesy of The National Wood Flooring Association.
Step 1
After this floor was stained it was damaged by several dents. Now the only option is
to remove the
damaged boards and blend the repair into the rest of the floor. Identify and mark the board that is
to be repaired. |
Step 2
Use a circular saw to make several cuts. Here, the correct depth of the saw blade is double-checked.
Ideally, a 24-tooth saw blade is used. Note that the undamaged floor is protected by a piece of
cardboard. (Old carpeting would also serve the same purpose.) To further protect the floor, the bottom
of the circular saw could be covered with tape. |
Step 3
The saw is used to make two long cuts to the outer edge of each board.
(Cut in 3/8" from each side of
the board. That should be the right distance to cut the heads off any
fasteners through the tongue.) |
Step 4
Make a diagonal cut between the two parallel cuts in each board, being careful not to cut into
surrounding boards. |
Step 5
Pick out the loose board pieces. Next use a chisel to
carefully separate the remaining pieces from the surrounding boards. Be careful
to tap away from surrounding boards to avoid causing a larger repair.
Once all the debris is cleared, either pull out or set the fasteners that were cut off by the circular
saw. |
Step 6
For your replacement boards, obviously choose boards of the same species and similar
grain pattern as the
ones you removed. Examine the boards for straightness and correct milling. Measure them precisely. Here,
a razor knife is used to mark the cut. The tongue end of the board will be removed.
Use a chop saw to make the cut, tipping the board up on edge to cut it. That
position prevents the chop saw
blade from flaring out and allows for a truer cut than if the board is cut laying flat. |
Step 7
In order for the board to go in, the bottom of the groove needs to be removed. The
razor knife is used to
score along the bottom of the groove, which is then knocked off. Placing another board along the edge of
the groove and whacking it with a hammer can help the process. As always, be careful not to damage the
floor below in the process. |
Step 8
With the bottom of the groove knocked off, use a planer to finish the job. Note in
the photo above, that
the planer is being used over the protected area of the floor, preventing even more damage. |
Step 9
Use a chop saw to knock off the bottom on the board's grooved end. Then, on the side
where you made your
original cut, make a cut at a 45-degree angle (as shown above), which will allow the board to fit in more
readily. Be careful not to angle the cut too close to the top of the wear layer, or it will leave a gap
when the board is sanded down to the level of the rest of the floor. |
Step 10
Each board has been dry-fit (not knocking it in quite all the way) to make sure it
will go in. Once the
epoxy is applied, there won't be much time to mess around with further adjustments. Where a long board
has been removed, it can be easier to put in two short boards rather than one long one, as shown here.
(Remember to check for joint spacing.) Also, if many boards are being removed, remove and repair only one
at a time. If all are removed at once, the pressure of the floor may shrink the gap too much to do
the repair. |
Step 11
Use two-part epoxy on top of the tongues and at the endmatches. Epoxy has various
set-up times. Here,
five-minute epoxy is being used, allowing enough time to do the repair but still set up fairly quickly.
That allows you to return almost immediately to sand the floor. Regular wood glue can be used, but
requires a wait of 24 to 48 hours before you can sand the floor. |
Step 12
The epoxy is also applied to the top of the endmatch. Note that the epoxy is being
used to attach the
boards to each other, not the sub-floor. This will allow the boards to move with the rest of the
floor. |
Step 13
It may be necessary to use a hammer to nudge the board into place. Use a scrap
board on top of the
replacement board to do this without damaging the floor. Wherever possible, nail the board. |
Step 14
Now the boards are in - with no top nails - and in about 20 minutes they will be
ready to be sanded
and stained. If this were a pre-finished floor, the repair would now be complete. |
| Tools & Materials |
Replacement boards, two-part epoxy,
large scrap of cardboard or
carpet,
chop saw, circular saw, hammer, nail set,
nail puller, epoxy gun, block plane,
sharp
chisel, utility knife, nailer (if possible). |
|
Where to Purchase |
Contact: Rich Prewitt
Prewitt Hardwood Floors, Inc.
360-666-WOOD, or 503-233-7442 |
| Permits & Codes? |
Log onto:
www.opdr.ci.portland.or.us |
| Average Cost |
$20 - $25 depending on
the number of boards. |
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