There are very few things more disheartening than having a piece of your hardwood floor damaged. The most likely culprit is water, either from a leaky window that went unnoticed or from a leak below a sink cabinet that seeps underneath the planking. If the area was tile you could chip out the offending pieces and replace them but hardwood is interlocking pieces and difficult to take out.
The first advice is to get a professional to repair a hardwood floor. If you can’t get anyone who knows how to do this then be prepared for a painstaking process. Each plank has either a tongue or groove on each side so traditional prying will only lift and maybe damage the area (If you are strong enough!). But the plank will not come out this way.
1. Cut the Plank: The best way to get the plank out is to take a circular saw and cut two parallel grooves down the length. Be careful not to oversaw the plank and put a cut in the good planks and set the blade to less than 3/4″ so you won’t cut the floor below.
2. Sideways: With a pry bar pull the two edge pieces to the center. You may have to do some wiggling because of the long staples. Remember to put a pad or soft wood against the good flooring or you’ll put dents in it. Also, be careful not to break the grooves off the adjacent good pieces.
3. Installing the New Piece: Hopefully, you have a spare piece from the original installation. If not you will have to find an unfinished piece that you can stain to look like the floor. Get two or three: One for to practice the staining and two in case you mess one up.
Because you can’t get another piece directly in the hole the bottom half of the groove side will have to be cut out. Also, cut of the tongue on the short side. This won’t be necessary because you will have to cut the length anyway so you might as well cut off the tongue end. The piece should just snug in because you’ve taken away the lower obstacles.
4. Fastening: The nails should be finishing ones with small ends. if you can’t find a drill bit small enough use on of the these as a drill. It will take a bit of pressure but they will go through. But use a bit if you can. Make two holes on each end and then two to three in the plank. Try to choose places that will not show. Now glue all sides of the wood and the two tongues left in the hole and press in. Put in your finishing nails and use a punch to drive them just below the surface. Take some colored wood filler and match the piece.
5. Stain: If the piece is unfinished you will have to stain it to match. Take the spare piece to the paint shop and get them to help you match it. Stain the installed piece. To finish it off buy a small can of urethane that matches the texture. Usually three coats will do. Before finishing, mask off the surrounding pieces so you won’t get spillage on them.
Posted by floorcoverings 