Things You'll Need:
- Floor-buffing Machine
- Polyurethane
- Spiral Flooring Nails
- Cloth
- Cloth
- No. 0000 Steel Wool
- Painter's Masking Tape
- Varnish Brush
- Nail Set
- Tack Cloth
- Wood Chisels
- Belt And Random-orbit Sanders With Abrasive Belts And Discs
- Carpenter's Square Or Straightedge
- Circular Saw With Flooring Blade And Trim Blades
- Electric Drill With 3/4-inch (2-cm) Spade Bit
- Hammer
- Pry Bar
- Sanding Block And Sandpaper
- Speed Square Or Miter Saw
- Wood Chisels
- Stain, sealer and finish
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Step 1
Determine which strips you'll remove entirely and which have damaged portions you'll need to cut out. Use a carpenter's square to mark the latter boards for crosscutting.
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Step 2
For strip floors, use a spade bit in an electric drill to bore pairs of holes with a 3/4-inch (2-cm) diameter at the ends of the boards you're removing (see A).
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Step 3
With the cut depth on a circular saw set equal to the flooring's thickness, make plunge cuts between the holes.
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Step 4
Pry out the strip between the cuts and the groove-edge piece (see B). To pry away the remaining strip, which is nailed through its tongue, drive an old chisel into the strip at its center, angled away from the adjacent strip. With the tongue and groove held apart, use a pry bar to pull out the strip.
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Step 5
Crosscut at your cut lines with a circular saw, using a plunge cut as necessary (see Tips). Guide all crosscuts with a square or straightedge to ensure that they're square.
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Step 6
To complete the cuts, drive a very sharp chisel into the saw kerf with the flat side of the chisel against the cut line.
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Step 1
Install the first strip's tongue over an exposed groove. Cut the strip to length from the tongue end. Guide all crosscuts with a speed square or use a miter saw.
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Step 2
Tap in the strip with a hammer, then blind-nail (at an angle) spiral flooring nails into the tongue so that they will be hidden from view. To avoid damaging the wood, use a nail set to drive the nail the last 1/4 inch (6 mm).
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Step 3
When you get to the last strip, cut the bottom lip of the tongue off the side and the end, then cut it to length. Tilt the strip to insert its tongue into the existing groove. Nail down the strip's face and countersink the heads with a nail set.
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Step 1
Sand the replacement strips and the strips immediately adjacent to them using a belt sander with 60-grit belts until you cannot feel the joints when you move your hand across them. Sand with the grain.
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Step 2
Continue sanding with 80-grit and 100-grit belts. Then sand with 120-grit discs on a random-orbit sander, up to but not onto adjacent strips. Switch to a hand-sanding block to sand up to the edges of all unsanded adjacent strips.
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Step 3
Mask off the finished flooring using painter's masking tape.
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Step 4
If the existing floor is stained, apply stain with a cloth. It is very difficult to lighten a too-dark floor, so start light and mix in more dark stain as needed, or leave the stain on the wood long enough to achieve the desired results. If the floor is natural, apply a clear penetrating sealer.
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Step 5
Wipe off all excess stain or sealer with a soft cloth and allow it to dry for 24 hours before applying a finish.
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Step 6
Apply the same finish as on the original floor, or if you don't know what that finish is, apply polyurethane with a comparable gloss. Use a professional-quality varnish brush. When the first coat is ready for recoating (see the label), degloss the surface with No. 0000 steel wool, wipe the floor with a tack cloth and apply a second coat.
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Step 7
When the second coat dries, remove the tape. Using a floor-buffing machine over the whole floor or at least around the repair area may help even the overall sheen. If you're not satisfied with the results, either screen and overcoat the entire floor (see How to Restore a Dull, Worn Wood Floor) or completely refinish it.
