Individual Floorboard / Strip Replacement

Description

When individual strips or planks of wood or laminate flooring have suffered damaged, or have shrunk excessively, replacing them is both a viable and safe option. If a board has been severely damaged, you should take into consideration that replacements may differ in colour to the remaining boards as no two batches of flooring are the same. This may result in the newly laid board standing out from the rest due to the color effect of UV ageing .

Also it is important to look into the bevelled ends of boards and the availability of exact lengths needed to replace the affected parts of the floor without having to alter the board. This is crucial if there are a significant amount of boards that may require changing.

Some pre-finished boards have very obvious bevelled edges which are very much a feature of that specific floor type. If the exact lengths of are unavailable, the board must be cut to the appropriate length. During this, the bevelled end should also be removed. The unfinished equivalent differs in the sense that it will not pose many issues in regards to products of fixed lengths, or where the affected board begins or ends a row.

You must execute a number of steps in order to replace the board. Following our advice should guarantee the job is completed effectively.

Stage One: Removing the Damaged Board or Strip

  • The first step is to drill four holes, one in each corner of the board. These must be roughly 10mm in from the edges of the flooring.
  • The next step is to use circular saw to cut from corner to corner, joining the four holes in the process.
  • Follow this by cutting across the board at approximately 40 degrees.
  • Then use hammer and chisel to split the wood at each of the four corners between the edge of the board and the four drilled holes.
  • The next course of action should be lifting out the centre of the flooring.
  • Once completed, proceed to remove the groove side of the flooring.
  • It is advisable to then cut through the nails on the tongue side of the floor, and then remove the tongue side of the flooring.

Stage Two: Installing the Replacement Board or Strip

  • Get a piece of flooring that will suitably fit the damaged board. If you are unable to achieve this, you may be required to cut it to the appropriate length.
  • Follow this by removing the tongues, then the underside of the groove on the edge and the end.
  • Next, you should apply a suitable adhesive to the underside of the replacement flooring. This should only be done if it is a solid board you are replacing.
  • Alternatively, you should apply adhesive to the top of the tongue on the existing board and replacement board if you are working on a project involving floating floors
  • Finally, we advise that you slot the board into position and apply some weight to it for a period of roughly 24 hours. Be sure to execute this where flooring is bonded to the sub-floor.
Step 1: Removing damaged flooring element with tongues & grooves


Individual Floorboard


Step 2: Installing replacement flooring element


Individual Floorboard