Replacing Old Hardwood Flooring

Replacing carpeting with hardwood floor.

Replacing old hardwood flooring.

How to video on replacing a damaged board in a prefinished hardwood floor. Most floors use a tongue and groove design. Some people love the look and graining of oak. Other customers prefer a more unique look such as a brilliant brazilian cherry or a clear maple or a modern looking bamboo.

When your hardwood floor begins to appear worn. Most old hardwood floors from the mid 19th century onwards are connected via interlocking edges called tongue and groove a laying method that minimizes gaps and keeps the faces of the floorboards from cupping. Safety glasses and hearing protection should be worn during this procedure. Hardwood flooring is very popular now but it can be damaged by too much moisture and easily scratched by pets nails.

To replace hardwood floor start by cutting and prying up the old hardwood planks using a circular saw pry bar and mallet. If your hardwood floor is in generally fine shape with only a damaged spot or two it is easy and economical to make small repairs by replacing a strip or plank of flooring. Remove the bottom of the groove from the new floor plank. One thing we didn t need permission to do was replace the wood flooring in the living room dining area.

Hardwood floors take a lot of abuse and over time they can become stained warped chipped or just dull. You can also fix buckled areas of flooring and avoid having to completely refinish your floors. As you weigh investing in hardwood for your floors you ll need to evaluate your budget the preferences and traditions in your community and your own taste. The 280 square feet of narrow oak strips was 95 years old and pretty beat with scratches.

If you want to change the species of wood you may consider replacing the hardwood. Then remove any nails and staples in the subflooring and sand off any paint or adhesive. Using the chisel and a pry bar remove the strip of flooring between the relief cuts and pull the tongue and groove edges of the old flooring where they interlock with the adjacent flooring courses. Costs to remove old flooring are not included and some homes may require additional construction for some floor types.

Completely clean out the opened section of flooring. The majority of homes in the us have oak.