How to Repair Damaged Hardwood Floors

Hardwood flooring

Hardwood flooring is a popular finish material with many homeowners, and is prized for its beauty and versatility. Though wood floors are very durable, they can become damaged over the years due to heavy use or lack of maintenance. It is fairly easy to repair damaged hardwood floors, and the average homeowner will be able to complete this task in just a few hours.

Things You'll Need

• Hammer
• Nails
• Wood putty
• Putty knife
• Trowel
• Sand paper
• Wood caulk
• Circulating saw
• Chisel or pry bar
• New wood flooring boards
• Flooring nails
• Stains or sealer (optional)

Instructions

1. Secure loose or squeaky floor boards using a hammer and flooring nails. Cover the nail heads with a bit of wood putty applied with a trowel or putty knife, being sure to wipe away any excess.

2. Fill small cracks or holes using a similarly colored wood caulk. These voids should be filled completely, and excess material should be wiped away immediately. After the caulk dries, you can sand it smooth using a medium-grit sandpaper.

3. Remove and replace badly damaged planks. Start by cutting down the center of each board lengthwise, using a saw. Use a hammer and chisel or pry bar to remove these sections after they are cut.

4. Take a piece of the hardwood flooring you removed to a local flooring distributor or hardware store. Purchase enough matching material to replace the sections you have removed.

5. Cut the new floor boards to the desired length using a circulating saw. Place each board into the appropriate space on the floor and nail it in place using flooring nails. You can cover the nail heads using a small amount of wood putty.

6. Sand, stain or seal the floor as necessary to allow the new boards to match the existing hardwood flooring. If you have replaced a large number of boards, your results will be best if you refinish the entire surface. If you only replaced a few planks, you may be able to simple apply stain or sealer to these sections.

References

• Wood Floor Doctor