DIY tips for fixing your hardwood floors
Now that you know how to spot fix small scratches, scuff marks and spills it’s time to move on to a slightly bigger project. High traffic areas of your home are going to wear down faster. Usually, it’s around the kitchen, the entryway and your dining area. A dining room chair being moved back and forth in the same spot time and time again is going to make a mark on your floors. Before you get a whole new hardwood floor, let’s see if the problem area can be fixed by simply replacing the damaged planks.
Your kitchen is a high traffic area. Instead of sanding and refinishing your whole kitchen, you might be able to get away with replacing the most damaged planks.
Once stains have soaked deep into your floors, sanding is only going to make it worse. By sanding and waxing, one area may simply create an indentation in your floors that will stand out more than the original stain or scratch.
If you plan on doing these plank replacements by yourself, it is important that when you go to remove the damaged plank, you don’t end up damaging or drilling into the subfloor.
Tools you need to replace a damaged floorboard
You need a circular saw to saw down the middle of the damaged floor plank. From there you can use your hammer and chisel to lift up the damaged board.
By Pearson Scott Foresman
Be gentle when you try to remove the plank. You will need:
- Drill
- Circular saw
- Hammer
- Chisel
Once the damaged plank has been removed, you need to measure perfectly and cut the new board so that you can slide it in there like a perfect puzzle piece. You want it to be as seamless as possible, the more precision, the better and the less noticeable it will be to the naked eye.
Sand any rough edges before you apply the new finish. Once again, you need to take your time and don’t rush the process. When you are trying to match your new finish to the old, be sure to test it first. Even with the same finish that you used previously, there is always a chance that the color will be slightly different. Test your way before taking on the new boards.
Hardwood floors are tough and durable and will last forever if you know how to take proper care of them. And if you don’t know how to take proper care of them, hire someone who does. Doing the job yourself and getting it wrong may just end up costing you more than hiring a professional in the first place.