How to Replace a Long Board in an Old Wood Floor
- 1). Remove the damaged board from the floor with a small, flat pry bar. Determine the species by comparing the grain to various hardwoods. The most common woods used in wood floors are oak and pine. Measure the dimensions of the board. You will need the width, length and thickness.
- 2). Cut a piece of the appropriate wood to the proper dimensions. Use a table saw to cut width and thickness with a coarse tooth hardwood blade. Cut the piece to length with a miter saw.
- 3). Distress the board before adding finish. Study the original floor and try to add marks that match the cutting and wear of the original. Ball-peen hammers, chains and rasps can all be used to distress the face of the material. Test your distressing out on a scrap piece before applying the technique to the replacement piece.
- 4). Age the wood with a solution of steel wool soaked in vinegar and a tea wash. Set steel wool in a jar with household vinegar overnight. Steep a cup of hot black tea for fifteen minutes. Brush the two on in combination to oxidize the wood, giving it an older appearance. Use a paint brush to coat the wood lightly with two solutions, for lighter wood leave the tea off.
- 5). Choose an appropriate stain color from sample chips available in any hardware store. Compare the chip to the original board. If an exact match cannot be found, go one shade lighter. It is much easier to darken stain than to lighten it.
- 6). Apply the stain to the board with a soft bristle brush. Test it first on your scrap piece. Allow it to dry and check for color. If it needs to be darker all over, apply a second coat and repeat the dry and check process, adding coats as needed. If it needs darkening only in key places, use a bit of brown shoe polish to darken it in a similar fashion.
- 7). Add finish. Most old floors are varnished. Scratch a nail along the board. If the finish comes up on your nail only a little, use spar varnish, if it comes up soft and waxy, use floor wax. Apply the finish of your choice according to the label directions for best results. In general, spar varnish is applied with a soft bristle brush, wax is rubbed in with a rag.
- 8). Position the board into the floor. Use nails similar to those in the surrounding floor to fasten it down. Add a little stain and wax to the nail heads to make them blend. Clean the entire floor and add a coat of clear finish or wax to help the new board blend, unless the floor is rustic and has no gloss, in which case time will finish the job.