Replacing a Floorboard In Your Home

Though it’s possible to call in a flooring expert to do this, a moderately skilled homeowner can do this work themselves.

What's underneath?
The first thing a homeowner should do is know what’s beneath the floor before they start to work. Any sort of pipes or electrical wiring in the floor is going to have to be worked around or moved out of the way. Then, the way a floorboard is removed depends on how it’s been laid down.

Let's get it up!
With square edged boards, a chisel can be wedged in a joint between the damaged board and the board beside it with a chisel with a wide blade or a flat pry bar. The board should then be pried up on one end, then the other. Then, the homeowner should use the claw of their hammer to pull the nails from the floor joists before they pull up the board. 

An alternative is to drill holes across the width of the damaged board, then use a wood chisel to split the board lengthwise between the drilled holes. Then, the board can be lifted up with the flat pry bar.

Tongue & groove
For a board that’s been laid down in a tongue and groove pattern, the board can also be prised up with a wide chisel or a saw designed to cut through floorboards. No matter whether it's a square edged board or tongue and groove, wooden shims should be inserted in the space between the board and the subfloor to protect the subfloor.

Lay the new board
A new board should then be cut with a mitre box or a power mitre saw. The board should be test fitted and if it fits flooring adhesive should be applied to the subfloor, the board's straight edges or its tongue and the half groove. The replacement piece can then be tapped into place. Again, a shim should be used to protect the floor surface. Scratches can be removed with steel wool and mineral spirits. If there’s a real gouge in the wood, the grain should be sanded and wood filler should be brushed in. It should be left to sit overnight, then sanded with the grain and refinished.