Karns-Repairing Hardwood Floor

Amy Matthews: Hardwood floors are a beautiful addition to any home but repairing them can be difficult. Here are a few things to consider if you’d like to repair your floors.

I think most people would assume that you just fill in the holes and patch it but we want to avoid that, right?

Male: Absolutely.

Amy Matthews: It's important to stagger the new planks to create a seamless professional look.

Male: Well, what you do is you find existing brakes and you try to match what’s there.

Amy Matthews: To do that, you’ll have to remove some of the old planks.

Male: Since this joint is really close to here, we’ll just take this whole board out. Make sure this is set at three quarters of an inch because you don’t want to go all the way through your subfloor. You’re just trying to cut the existing flooring.

Amy Matthews: The planks are cut with a circular saw and remove with a crowbar,

Male: And then we pull that one right out of the middle.

Amy Matthews: For longer planks, it’s best to chisel out new seams closer to the repair to keep from tearing up the entire floor.

Male: And when you hit the subfloor, you stop.

Amy Matthews: Now that the old is out, you can install the new. Slide the boards into place with a rubber mallet. Recycling the old flooring will give you an exact match. Be sure to stagger your seams for a stronger more attractive floor.

All right guys, the last two pieces of the puzzle here.

To fasten the new planks, use an angle nailer. They rent for about $30.00 a day.

It only takes a few hours to complete and when you’re done, you’ll have a perfectly patched floor. Repairing hard wood floors is a simple project you can do in a weekend. And by doing the work yourself, you can save hundreds of dollars. I'm Amy Matthews from DIY Network’s Sweat Equity.