Floorboard Replacement and Retaining Integrity Over Joists and Bearers...
These days, the tasks that Flooring Contractors (aka Technicians) are expected to be able to do as part of their normal skillset are many and varied-unlike our predecessors who punched nails, sanded, puttied and applied two-pack solvent-based clear gloss coatings to every job.
I remember one of the lines my Dad used when customers asked for a satin or low sheen finish… “Well, if you wait a few months to a year, the high gloss settles down to a lower sheen, so why pay more for a dull coating in the first place?”
And he wasn’t wrong. That did and still does happen. But customers are more demanding and knowledgeable (?) now, so we (try to give them what they ask for (within reason)
But getting back to the topic of this article-because coatings varieties are a story for another day – I would like to bring a few observations I have made (and learned, the hard way sometimes) when repairing and replacing flooring over joists and bearers, eg a Structural Tongue and Groove floor system of 19mm or more, spanning at least 450mm between supporting joists.
First, how do we get into this situation initially? The customer calls or messages us, we go onsite for a quote: when they mention for we point out, usually) that they have one or more floorboards that are either broken along the groove side of the board, or very far apart to allow massive deflection of the boards from one another.
“Can you fix this?”, is the question to which you reply either Yes or No. depending on your level of experience. Sometimes it can be a massive can of worms, as we cannot see past the surface, unless access is available under the floor. At this point, we don’t know if the damage is because of insect damage. or just weak T&G joins. If you can get under the floor (and feel up through the spider webs) then best to inspect before agreeing to any repairs. If you do see signs of borer or termites, it is better to suggest to your client they get an exterminator to inspect and report before anything else, to cover yourself.
BTW: ATFA has a great short video on floorboard replacement that is worth a look, and covers a lot of what is discussed in this article. recommend that you check it out in the members’ section. Ask Josh for help if you cannot find it. (Thanks, Josh!)
So, having assessed the damage and feeling confident that the repairs are within your scope of skills and qualifications, let’s now discuss the process to undertake.
If you need to replace just one board for whatever reason, then begin by finding the nails in each joist that is past the damaged area to be removed. Important to note here, if you are replacing one or more boards in a solid flooring system that is already coated, and you are NOT resanding the entire floor, then this task is a LOT harder, as the replaced board must be sanded and levelled with the old floor without damaging the surrounding finish-very tricky. Let’s assume that we are resanding and recoating everything after this repair.
So, you have found the nails at each end. This means the floor system is top nailed, and we have located the joists. Mark a few (one or two) millimeters to the inside of the nail holes and square these lines against the edge of the board. Then mark a pair of parallel lines about 6-8 mm inside the section of flooring to be replaced. Using a “track type saw (for safety and accuracy) set the blade so that it cuts 1mm deeper than the board and cut along all the marked lines. You may strike the floor nails if they have been driven at an angle, so be ready to replace the blade! Finish the cuts with a ‘Fein’ type tool square up to the flooring to be retained then use a pry bar and chisel/hammer to gently begin removing the centre section. You may find it helpful (I do) to cut additional diagonal lines between the others in the shape of an X, to allow smaller pieces to be removed.
When the sections are removed, inspect for further damage. Then if you are satisfied, begin measuring the replacement piece and cut to size. Don’t make it too tight, or you risk cracking the board or those adjacent. A suggestion here is to sand or shave the tongue of the replacement piece to allow easier fitment. But be cautious – too much could mean a sloppy fit.
Your new piece will have to have the lower part of the ‘groove’ side of the board removed, to allow fitting. Use your track saw to do this, remove a little more than just the bottom groove to again aid in fitting, but don’t cut too deep or it won’t sit at the right height.
Now it is almost ready to fit in, but thinking about the last cut, we have removed half of the T&G side strength so we need to replace this somehow… You can either fit a ‘Noggin’ of pine or similar framing 90 x 35mm glued and screwed between the joists, or glue and screw another piece of flooring to the underside of the existing flooring where the tongue board is visible. This will act as support for the weakened new piece. probably even better than the original.
Now dry fit the board-not letting it go completely into position, or you will struggle to get it back out without damage. When you are 100% happy. use glue to all connection points (PVA cross-linked or better is Polyurethane) and tap into place. Use caution, a piece of flooring under your hammer head will stop damage occurring to the new piece and will share the impact load along the groove side for better insertion. Top nail and you’re done!
If your floor is a ‘Secret’ or ‘Blind nail system, then you will have to rely on adhesive completely for bond-you will then need to apply weight to the new board until the adhesive has fully cured. Of course, when you do your first board replacement, it is better to practice on a few bits at the workshop before attempting on your client’s floor. Getting the hang of cutting out the old bits neatly and fitting the replacement without splitting it is not easy-best done without customer supervision.
Good luck and to all of you that already do this task, congratulations! I hope you take something away from this that you can use in future. And if anyone has other methods they would like to share, please send them to the editor of this magazine. I would love
to hear about your experiences!
Best Wishes,
Peter King