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HOME IMPROVEMENT

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REPAIRING WOOD FLOORING

Patching Wood Floors

I took down a wall and now there's a gap in the flooring, going across the boards. How do I fill it without it looking patched?
This job is definitely a challenge, and we recommend it only to seasoned do-it-yourselfers. It takes time and patience, along with some finishing savvy. The toughest job is removing existing pieces to make room for the new ones. Use your judgment about the number of pieces you need to remove to match the random-length boards of the existing floor.

You'll also have to select the right wood flooring at the lumberyard. After you get the new flooring, let it sit in the room for at least a week to stabilize before doing the job.

Begin by cutting out short sections of old strips so you can "weave" in the new strips. Use a 3/4-inch spade bit to drill holes at the ends of sections. Split each section with circular saw cuts; then pry the old wood out. Use a sharp combination or carbide-tipped blade. Wear safety glasses, because you'll run into a nail or two.

Square up any rough ends with a wood chisel. Now lay down some rosin paper or No. 15 roofing felt as an underlayment for the new pieces.

Cut the new pieces to exact lengths and lay them in, nailing through tongues. You'll have to face-nail some of the pieces (nail them through the top surface). You'll also have to remove the bottoms of the grooves to fit some of the pieces in place.

When you've finished laying the new flooring, set any exposed nails. Next, use a belt sander to sand the new area to conform with the old. After sanding, you'll need to finish the floor to blend with the existing floor finish.

Popped Planks

My tongue-and-groove wood laminate floor was installed with adhesive over a concrete slab. Several planks have popped up. How can I fix them and keep them from popping again?
First check to see that the installer left room for expansion. To find out, remove the baseboards. There should be at least a 3/8-inch gap between the floor and the wall.

If there isn't, chisel out some of the flooring along the walls. When the baseboard is reinstalled, it should cover what's been chiseled out.

The next step? Wait. If the boards pop up in the summer but lie flat in the winter, making room for expan-sion should take care of the problem.

However, if the boards remain buckled all year long, then it's possible the adhesive has pulled loose, causing a hardened, uneven residue to form under the boards.

To correct this, carefully remove the popped-up boards. It's likely the boards will break in doing so, in which case you'll need to replace them with new boards. To install the new boards, cut off the bottom side of the groove. Trowel new adhesive on the floor, following manufacturer's instructions, and place a bead of glue on top of the tongue. Lay the boards in. Put some weight on them for a few days to make sure they adhere.

Holes in Finished Wood

There's a 2-inch-long hole in the wood floor in my dining room. What can I fill it in with?
Fill the hole with wood putty, overfilling it slightly. At the same time, make a test board by smearing a thin layer of putty over a piece of scrap wood. Because putty shrinks slightly as it dries, holes deeper than 1/8 inch or so may require multiple layers of putty.

When the putty dries, use medium-grit, then fine, sandpaper to smooth both the patch and the layer of putty on the test board. Then try polyurethane—you can use gloss, semigloss, or satin—on the test board to find the right sheen.

Stain the patch and apply two coats of polyurethane. An artist's brush is the best tool for finishing small spots.

Shallow nicks and scratches can usually be fixed without wood putty. In most cases they require nothing more than a little stain and poly-urethane to do the job.

*Because putty shrinks slightly as it dries, holes deeper than 1/8 in. or so may require multiple layers of putty.

Squeaky Parquet

Our 70-year-old parquet floors squeak terribly. We've tried putting in long screws from underneath to stiffen the floors, but it hasn't helped. What next?
In the 1920's, parquet flooring was laid strip by strip, not packaged in the 12 x 12-inch configuration that is common now. Your floor consists of hundreds of separate strips of oak wood that have become loose and are rubbing against each other. It may help to keep the humidity around 40 percent, which will keep the floors from drying, then shrinking and squeaking. Some people sweep talcum powder into the cracks between floorboards to lubricate the edges to stop squeaks. The only sure solution is to reinstall the existing flooring or to lay new parquet tiles.

Fix Squeaky Floors

Our second-story floors have become very squeaky. How can we stop the squeaks?
The first step is to pinpoint the squeak's origin. A floor generally has three layers: the joists, the subfloor, and the floor. Squeaks occur where the layers separate and rub together.

A sprinkling of powdered graphite or talcum powder between the floor-boards may silence a squeak tem-porarily. For a permanent cure, you will need to tighten the parts that are rubbing. If the squeak is from loose hardwood, drive additional nails or screws from the top side. Use nails with a ribbed, spiral, or threaded shank so they'll bite firmly into the joists. You could also use trim-head drywall screws—screws with a tiny head—that easily sink below the surface of the hardwood flooring. Fill the holes with wood putty. Sink existing loose nails farther into the joist with a nail set, or they'll quickly become loose again. If the joists are accessible from below, have a helper stand on the squeak while you drive new screws into the subfloor.

For carpeted floors where the joists below are concealed by a ceiling, locate the joists with a stud finder. Push the carpet nap out of the way over the joist. Next, predrill holes through the flooring that are slightly larger than the shank of the screw; the holes should be drilled at an angle toward the joist, but not into the joist. Stand directly over the squeak and drive pairs of wood screws into the joist.

* Install screws while someone stands on the floor above. Make sure they penetrate at least 1/2 in. into the flooring.

* Drive screws into the joists at an angle from both directions. Sink screwheads well below the carpet and pad.

HOME IMPROVEMENT

SHOPPING MALL > DEPARTMENT STORE > HOME IMPROVEMENT

TITLE: Home Improvement, Home Depot, Home Decor, Home Decorating, Home Remodeling, Home Decor, Home Interior, Home Furniture Store

Home Improvement Category: Home Improvement, Home Depot, Home Decor, Home Decorating, Home Remodeling, Home Decor, Home Interior, Home Furniture, Home, Do it Yourself, Doityourself, DIY, Diy Network, Do-it-Yourself

Shopping Mall: Home Improvement offers do-it-yourself Home Improvement guide and store, Home Improvement, Home Depot, Home Decor, Home Decorating, Home Remodeling, Home Decor, Home Interior, Home Furniture, Home, Do it Yourself, Doityourself, DIY, Diy Network, Do-it-Yourself Store

Home Improvement Topics: Home Improvement, Home Depot, Home Decor, Home Decorating, Home Remodeling, Home Decor, Home Interior, Home Furniture, Home, Do it Yourself, Doityourself, DIY, Diy Network, Do-it-Yourself