How to Replace Tongue and Groove Flooring
Replacing a tongue and groove floor plank (or a whole section of them) is a fairly complicated project, and one that takes both some delicacy and some patience. The problem is that tongue and groove flooring locks together on the sides so it can't be pulled straight up without splitting the milling. By cutting out the middle of each damaged board, you can push the sides inward to keep the neighboring boards intact. The replacement board then must be altered to get it to sit properly in the space. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Circular saw
- Hammer
- Rigid metal putty knife
- Replacement board (tongue and groove, same size and style as the damaged one)
- Razor knife
- Nail gun
- Eye protection
Instructions
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1
Adjust the depth of your circular saw blade so that it's the same depth as the thickness of the floorboards, using your replacement floorboard as a guide.
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2
Make a ``plunge cut'' with the saw into the middle of the damaged board, going with the length of the board. (A plunge cut is when you set the front end of the saw down to the surface, hold the blade guard back to expose the blade, squeeze the trigger and lower the blade into the wood from the middle of it instead of from an edge.)
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3
Run the saw up the length of the affected board. Don't let the blade get within a half inch or so of the edge of the board on any side.
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4
Continue making plunge cuts in the same board, running them all lengthwise and crossing over each other at slight angles so that pieces of the floor in the middle of the board start coming out.
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5
Set your putty knife alongside the edge of the board, where it meets the board next to it. Tap the back of the knife with your hammer, knocking apart the tongue and groove connection and pushing the edge of the board into the middle, which will contain an open space because of your earlier cuts.
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6
Work your putty knife and hammer all around the edge of the damaged board, pushing it off the surrounding boards. Use your hammer to extract nails as necessary.
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7
Lay your replacement board face-down on a solid surface. Run your razor knife along the bottom half of the groove on one edge, cutting it off. You should be left with just the top edge of the groove intact.
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8
Set the altered board into place, first fitting the tongue of the replacement board into the groove of the neighboring piece, then setting the other side down so that the altered groove of the replacement piece sits on top of the tongue of the piece next to it.
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9
Secure the board with your nail gun, putting pairs of nails every foot or so. Repeat for each board that needs replacing.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear eye protection when cutting and extracting the old board.
