Hardwood floor repair questions

[Frank Martin]

I need to repair a part of our living room hardwood floor. There is an area with some water damage and I need to remove the existing boards and replace it with new ones. I have never done any flooring work before.

What is the best way to remove the damaged boards?

When I look into the existing floor boards I cannot see any filled nail holes. Are there different ways of fixing the boards so that there are no visible nail holes?

Thanks!

[Greg Funk]

I need to repair a part of our living room hardwood floor. There is an area with some water damage and I need to remove the existing boards and replace it with new ones. I have never done any flooring work before.

What is the best way to remove the damaged boards?

When I look into the existing floor boards I cannot see any filled nail holes. Are there different ways of fixing the boards so that there are no visible nail holes?

Thanks!
You can make a few saw cuts (with an old blade) and chisel one of the middle boards. Once you get the first one out it is straightforward to pry the others out. When you replace the boards you should be able to edge nail all but the final row which you could either face nail and fill or if it was me I would just glue it in.

Greg

[frank shic]

sounds like a good excuse to get a fein multimaster!

[Sam Shank]

Yes, the first one is the hardest, and then they get easier. Make 2 cuts for the first one. You can use a spade bit at the end to get where the saw can't (do this first). Make your cuts with a slight taper, and they'll come out quicker. The boards are nailed at a 45' angle in the tongues.

Taper cuts will get the boards out easiest and fastest. Get a long old screwdriver for prying. Be delicate - old wood can chip easily (on the boards you want to keep!)

Good luck, Sam

[Christof Grohs]

Lets say you are trying to remove a group of boards. First try to figure out which side the boards are nailed on. If you are standing, looking at the boards and they are nailed on the right, then to start remove the board furthest on the right. Do this by making two cuts in the board parallel to the edges of the board. On a 2.25" material I make both cuts in 1/2" from the edge to avoid hitting nails, these cuts go the full length of the board....careful not to go too far and hit the next board. Next take your saw and make a diagonal plunge cut to break the 1.25" wide center piece in half ===/==== Pry on each of the cut pieces a little and they will lift right out. You are left with a 1/2" wide piece remaining on each edge. One side (unnailed) should come right out, the other just chisel it out and remove fasteners. You can do this with all the boards, it's pretty quick once you get the hang of making the cuts. Clean the wound out free of dust/debris and get your sharp hand plane ready

Break the bottom of your groove off the replacement boards and do a dry fit. Hand plane the remaining top groove a little to help the fit if needed. Clean/scrape the tongue of the existing floor boards so glue will stick. I use epoxy for repairs but glue will work fine too. Apply plenty of glue and pop the new boards back in. It is easy to break the edge of the new board if you beat the hell out of it trying to get it in. Take your time and plane the new board so it is snug not tight. Use a face nail or place weight to hold them down until glue/epoxy cures.

[Frank Martin]

Frank, are you suggesting using the multimaster to remove the first board?

Regarding egde nailing the new boards, do I need a special type nailer, or would just a 18 gage brad nailer, 2" would do the job. Can I use some kind of adhesive (construction adhesive) to glue them in place?

Thanks again for the responses.

[frank shic]

frank, my understanding is that the fein multimaster will allow you to make those ridiculously narrow cuts that are right up against the wall. i'm currently trying to decide on getting the older and therefore now cheaper 636 model vs the LATEST AND THE GREATEST 250.

ideally, you would use a flooring stapler but if you want to use a pneumatic air gun, i would look to either a 15 or 16 gauge to make sure that the boards hold. you don't want to do this project AGAIN, do you?

[Greg Funk]

Frank, are you suggesting using the multimaster to remove the first board?

Regarding egde nailing the new boards, do I need a special type nailer, or would just a 18 gage brad nailer, 2" would do the job. Can I use some kind of adhesive (construction adhesive) to glue them in place?

Thanks again for the responses.
If it's 3/4 thick flooring it won't be glued down and you shouldn't add any glue. The wood will move on it's own with changes in humidity. You could rent a flooring stapler or since it's just a few boards you could hand nail as well. You would need to get flooring nails. They are hardened and made to go through hardwood flooring without bending. If you hand nail you just nail through the tongue at a 45 degree angle. You will need to set the nail in below the tongue. A 15 guage finish nailer works also works well.

Greg

[Frank Martin]

Frank, it is funny you mentioned the Fein. I ordered the new version yesterday. I have been considering getting one for the odd jobs but been waiting for the new version. For this floor repair, I don't think I will need it though. Fortunately, the area I need to work on is at least 1 ft away from the walls/windows.

Now, about the nailer. The reason I asked about the brad nailer is because I already have one. I don't have a 15 gauge nailer though. I sure don't want to do this job again, but still thinking if construction adhesive combined with 18 ga, 2" brad nails would be enough. I cannot see needing the 15 ga nailer on a regular basis, therefore trying to avoid if it is not really necessary.

Thanks again for the tips..:)



frank, my understanding is that the fein multimaster will allow you to make those ridiculously narrow cuts that are right up against the wall. i'm currently trying to decide on getting the older and therefore now cheaper 636 model vs the LATEST AND THE GREATEST 250.

ideally, you would use a flooring stapler but if you want to use a pneumatic air gun, i would look to either a 15 or 16 gauge to make sure that the boards hold. you don't want to do this project AGAIN, do you?

[Frank Martin]

Greg,

You must have posted as I was typing my other post. Sounds like gluing is not a good idea and I need to use at leas a 15 ga finish nailer, or a flooring stapler.

Thanks for the clarification!:)



If it's 3/4 thick flooring it won't be glued down and you shouldn't add any glue. The wood will move on it's own with changes in humidity. You could rent a flooring stapler or since it's just a few boards you could hand nail as well. You would need to get flooring nails. They are hardened and made to go through hardwood flooring without bending. If you hand nail you just nail through the tongue at a 45 degree angle. You will need to set the nail in below the tongue. A 15 guage finish nailer works also works well.

Greg

[Greg Funk]

Greg,

You must have posted as I was typing my other post. Sounds like gluing is not a good idea and I need to use at leas a 15 ga finish nailer, or a flooring stapler.

Thanks for the clarification!:)
I've laid hardwood in 3 houses and have always nailed some of the boards by hand usually near the wall when there is no room to get a pneumatic nailer. If it was me I would just go and buy a box of hardwood nails and hand nail it. If it is an older house it is very likely it was hand nailed originally.

When you are nailing it is useful to have a helper to put some pressure on the board you are nailing to keep it tight. The simplest way is to jam a screwdriver into the floor on a slight angle beside the tongue and apply pressure on the board.

Greg