replacing t&g boards on front porch

[fred woltersdorf]

i have to replace 3 t&g boards on a customers front porch.the boards are 3" x 1".i plan on ripping one of the boards lengthwise to aid in removal,but i'm not sure how to get the last board back in because of the t&g.i'm thinking of ripping the tongue off of that board.am i thinking right here or is there another way to do this?thanks

[John Pollman]

I've done a few repairs to T&G hardwood flooring over the years. Once the bad boards are removed (I rip the board with a circular saw and use a good sharp chisel to clean up the ends and such) you're ready to replace them. I usually try to start with putting the tongue side into the groove of a board that is in place. Then tap it in and face nail it. (if the repair is more than one board wide) Then when I get to the last board, I just rip off the bottom portion only of the groove. Then tap the tongue side in and then the board should be able to slide down over the other tongue. Then I just face nail it again and fill the holes. This happened to me last summer on a huge new prefinished hardwood installation. The whole job was about 1200 square feet and I had finished up a couple of days before the cabinets showed up. The plumber had stubbed out a gas line for the cooktop in the island and I had cut around it. It turns out it was in the wrong place by over a foot ! :( It took me a little while but I was able to repair the problem and you can't even tell. It was just one of those things I guess.

[Neil Clemmons]

Fred

Agree with you about ripping the flooring pieces to simpify removal. Just be careful that you miss nails and don't damage the existing T&G when removing the damaged pieces.

When replacing the pieces, here's how I've done this in the past - basically rip 1/2 the groove off of the last piece you want to install last. You may need to use a block plane to slightly remove part of the tongue depending on how tight it is, but it works well. The last piece installed will likely have to be face nailed or toenailed at the edge.

Good luck,

Neil

[John Pollman]

Neils diagram more clearly shows what I poorly described. ;) Thanks Neil.
It works out very well.

Good luck !

John

[Frank Pellow]

I would like to add my compliments on a good diagram Neil. It exactly shows the technique that I have used a couple of times.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Yep, you beat me to it...I do the same thing with beadboard ceiling repairs.

[fred woltersdorf]

thanks to everyone who gave advise.ended up replacing 6 boards due to rot.cut off the bottom of the grove on the last board and then face nailed it in.after it's painted it will be hard to notice the repair.thanks again.how did i do things before i had my festool atf55 and guide rail,makes life so much easier.