To patch a hole in a wood floor left by the removal of a floor furnace grate – such as we had in the Kuppersmith Project house – start by installing floor joists across the opening, followed by a subfloor, felt paper, and flooring. Here’s how to go about patching a wood floor in your home.
Once the gas line had been disconnected, and the old gas floor furnace taken out:
- Remove Grate: Remove the metal grate covering the opening.
- Install Floor Joists: Install floor joists across the opening from underneath.
- Cut Plywood Subfloor: Cut a piece of plywood the correct thickness and size to fill the opening, so it’s flush with the bottom of the flooring.
- Attach Subfloor: Place the plywood subfloor into the opening, and attach it to the floor joists using nails and construction adhesive.
- Remove Existing Flooring: Remove any short pieces of flooring, and/or stagger the joints in the flooring by chiseling back every other board.
- Install Felt Paper: Cover the exposed subfloor with felt paper.
- Patch Flooring: Replace the missing floor boards with matching wood flooring of the same species and width. When possible use matching flooring from the house, such as that found in a closet or flooring that may have been removed during renovation
- Sand and Refinish Floor: Sand and refinish the floor so the old and new flooring match.
Watch this video to find out more.
Further Information
- Heart Pine Flooring for the Kuppersmith Project House (video)
- Installing Heart Pine Flooring in Kuppersmith Project (video)
- Heart Pine from the Kuppersmith Project House (video)
- How to Refinish Wood Floors (video/article)
- How to Choose and Install Wood Floors in Your Home (video)
