Patching Wood Floors is nothing to fear. If you have prefinished flooring and have enough extra pieces on hand, it’s a breeze. I want to show you how replace a section of hardwood floors. 
Patching Wood Floors
(If you don’t have flooring to match, you’ll probably have to refinish the entire floor after you patch to get a uniform color and finish…and I don’t envy that job.)
I was able to find the exact flooring in out house at Home Depot so my project went pretty smoothly.
I had a coat closet in my living room that took up too much space, so I tore it out. Then I discovered that the bathtub next door actually stuck out into the wall cavity of said coat closet, so I had to tear that out too.
And I was left with this!
I had to remove additional pieces of flooring so I could seamlessly install my new pieces using the tongues and grooves, nailing through the tongue so the nails are invisible.
I used my circular saw and cut some of the waste out of the way and then used a screw driver and a hammer to smack the rest of the “waste” boards out of place. I hammered the screw-driver straight down into the floor board until it was wedged down in there good. Then I tilted it so I could hammer against it at an angle. (Like in the pic below.)
Once the board was out far enough to use the hammer directly on it, it went faster as I was able to hit the board harder with both hands holding the hammer. These floors had been installed with flooring staples and they came out pretty easily.
I removed all the boards that had a cut end and some that were fine but would have made it difficult to install new wood.
How replace a section of hardwood floors
Now all that’s left is to replace which is the easy part. Start the first row against the flooring that is already in and nail it in place.
I just had to ease some of the boards back INTO those “holes” that I’d created by hammering the old boards OUT. I didn’t worry about not being able to put flooring nails into the small sections of new floor that were set back in the old flooring. The old flooring had the tongue and grooves intact so the new floors were wedged in tight.
I also had to patch this area here, where I tore out the wall bet ween the formal living room and the entrance hallway.
Here, I used the circular saw to remove 3 rows of flooring. I made two seperate cuts down the center row. That allowed me to pull up the first row in pieces and then wedge the rows on either side out without damaging the tongue or groove on the wood that was remaining.
Then replacing the wood, I had to cut the tongue off two rows the new floor I put down. I had to nail right into the top of the flooring on those rows.
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Ronda Batchelor says
great tips. Now I just need the time and the wood so I can have wood floors!
Liz VanKirk says
When your taking out the hardwood floor in pieces you said you use the circular saw & cut down the line. Then pop out the board. What do you do if there are nails holding that piece & others down? Not a free floating floor.
Also where did you get that slider bar that you used against the wall to tighten the boards before you nailed them in?
Liz
Sandra says
I made two passes down the center row, creating about a 1″ strip right down the middle of that row of wood planks. That enabled me to pop up the part of that row where there were no nails. Then I was able to wedge the rest of that plank out by using my screw driver and hammer- working it out, away from the parallel row into the space I just created by popping out the strip I cut.
Even with nails securing it to the subfloor, I was able to “Wack Out” the wood with a hammer. It just takes some elbow grease.
Liz VanKirk says
Thanks- were still looking for one of those slider bars! Any ideas where we could get one?
Sandra says
Sorry, forgot to answer that question. That is just a Prybar. You can pick one up at any hardware store or hardware department of any home improvement store.
Max says
If you are talking about the tool to help get the tongue and groove of the floor together that you are joining, you can pick one up at harbor freight. Normally you only need this if you are up against a wall. Otherwise you can use a scrap piece of wood to fit the wood into place. Hopefully this helps if this is the tool you were thinking of I realize in Sandra’s pic she was using a prybar.
elida says
Hi, what is the name of the tool on the floor, its next to the hammer and the black slider bar, right above the pliers with blue handles? The tool is between your gloves and the blue tipped pliers, in the pic above the video clip “how to patch hardwood flooring 2”
I greatly admire all of your work.
Thanks.
Sandra says
That is a cordless multi-tool. I didn’t use that on the flooring repair. I had been using that on the drywall, then switched to flooring and still had all my drywall tools sitting out. LOL
Jean says
You make everything look so easy. too easy…and I know it isn’t!
Sandra says
Honestly Jean, patching flooring is pretty easy. It’s hard on your back, but it’s not too complicated.
Maureen says
Sandra,
Love the speeded up version of video 1! It reminded me of an old Benny Hill episode. You make it look soooo easy.
Maureen
Sandra says
I never want to show the whole video in real time or it would take forever, but I don’t want to just skip to the end and leave people guessing…FF seems a good option. LOL
Amy Flurry says
Great meeting you at Haven! Great blog.
What an industrious and clever woman. Inspiring!
Sandra says
It was great meeting you too Amy. I can’t wait to read your book! (Looking forward to learning more from you!)
Lisa~ says
Sandra you rock! I have really enjoyed watching you through this process because it is exactly the kind of project I do. You’re one of the few women in my life that does these kinds of crazy things to their houses and it makes me feel a little less insane. Or at least a sisterhood of insanity. 🙂 It’s looking awesome! Lisa~
Sandra says
Love it. Sisterhood of Insanity! I definitely feel the sisterhood with you Lisa.
hardwood floor new york says
Installing wood flooring is easy as long as you know those basic, plus having an internet for DIY tutorials/tips/tricks helps a lot. Thanks, you’re a big help! 😀
Matt Wariner says
Very informative, I’ll be passing this information along to friends of mine