Sometimes, no matter how much the house is taken care of, the floorboards give way to daily wear and tear. A stain here, a split there, a crack somewhere, these are just a few of a diligent housewife’s nightmares. To bring back the beauty of the floor, replacing the defective and ugly floorboard is the key. However, the replacement must mimic the original such that it will not look very much different from the other older floorboards. To make sure the right thing is done and ensure the beauty of the floor, follow these simple instructions.
- Before removing the undesirable damaged floorboard, try to scout for the exact same floorboard currently installed. Take a photo of the current floorboard and bring this to the home supply store. Otherwise, you may opt to remove a piece of the original floorboard from an area where it will not be noticeable, say for example under the table or under a big piece of furniture.
- If a replacement can easily be found, then proceed to the next step. However, if no similar floorboard is found, then think twice before removing the damaged floorboard. Sometimes, it is better to have it a little bit damaged rather than making it very obvious that it has been replaced. If not match can be found, just choose the floorboard with color and finish almost the same as the original.
- Suppose a matching floorboard has been bought, clear the area of any important stuff and put layers of old newspapers over the other boards to prevent them from incurring any damage. Then remove the damaged floorboard and clean the area of any debris.
- Hold the new floorboard slightly above the area of the old floorboard. Using a pencil, mark the new board so that you will be able to approximate the dimensions and trim the board accordingly. Mark only the areas that need trimming.
- Try to position the board into the hole and see if it fits perfectly. If it does, then permanently attach it. If it does not, continue marking the board using a pencil. If many boards will be replaced all at once, line these up in the most accurate manner possible and mark as necessary.
- Now, use a saw to cut the floorboard by following the pencil marks previously made. To ensure safety, use the more dominant and steadier hand to saw. To keep the floorboard stable, either clamp the floorboard onto a steel rod, or put it on top of a bench and use the legs (by stepping on it using one foot) to anchor it to the bench.
- After sawing, use a sandpaper to smoothen and straighten the edges of the floorboard. This also effectively removes the unwanted and hazardous splinters.
Finally, place the board into the hole and make sure it fits perfectly. Adjust and cut as necessary. If more trimming is needed, it may be better to just use the sandpaper to ensure that you will not cut more than what is needed. Use the saw only once.
