Hardwood Hints: Repairing a Loose Board

If a homeowner finds a board that has popped loose, we want to go back and fix it without messing up the finish. When working in a home with a floor that has already been finished, you want to take care of the floors, so the homeowner doesnā€™t see chemicals on the finish after youā€™ve worked so hard telling them how to take care of their floor. Tape the area off and drill a small hole. Then take a two-part epoxy. With the mixing nozzles, it works best if you can inject it in and itā€™s self-mixing on the way in. Now I start to see the epoxy come up through a small crack in the seam of the board, which is how I know itā€™s full. If this process gets anything on the top of the finish, I would take my mineral spirits, rag, and clean it up immediately.

As for the hole you drill, you can fill it with either toothpicks or little slivers of wood and then cut off the excess with a knife or chisel while being careful not to damage anywhere else. Take a touch up pin, color it, wipe it off quickly, and then it is blended in well.

Photos courtesy of NWFA

Watch it!

See Steve Seabaugh complete this process in a video.

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