30 votes

Replacing hardwood floor in 100 year old house with no subfloor

The squeaking comes from vibrations created when the floorboards and joists rub against each other when weight pushes down on them. There's a chance that replacing the floor with a new one "in-...
gnicko's user avatar
  • 5,605
26 votes
Accepted

How do I fix popped nails in hardwood floors?

Use lost-head screws. These have heads small enough that they will pull down into the surface so you can cover them with a dab of filler. There are many types, for different purposes, but all have ...
Tetsujin's user avatar
  • 11.5k
24 votes

Is it appropriate to sand a hardwood floor with a 20, 60, 100 grit sequence?

I've only refinished two hardwood floors myself but I do know a bit about woodworking given my dozen years of experience as a cabinet maker. The first floor was done with a rental rotary sander. This ...
Eric KB's user avatar
  • 341
21 votes

Chipped floor planks keep snagging my socks

These are "shakes" - this is where the lumber separates along the growth rings. Fill the cracks with glue (PVA / polyurethane / epoxy / cyanoacrylate) then place cling wrap over them and ...
Jasen's user avatar
  • 20.6k
19 votes

Should hardwood floors go all the way to wall under kitchen cabinets?

That is just fine. The only possible downside is that if you decide to re-arrange the kitchen in the future and the area will become "uncovered", you will have to deal with it at that point. ...
PhilippNagel's user avatar
  • 4,947
19 votes

Should hardwood floors go all the way to wall under kitchen cabinets?

There are arguments for not having the flooring under the cabinets at all (if it's "floating" flooring, the cabinets on top "pin" that part of the flooring to the floor so it does ...
Ecnerwal's user avatar
  • 212k
18 votes

What is the best way to bridge a huge gap between hardwood and tile?

Updated based on revisions to the question. The way I see it you have two options, neither of which is nearly as complicated as your proposed solution. Install a tile accent row with a beveled or ...
isherwood's user avatar
  • 136k
18 votes

Is it appropriate to sand a hardwood floor with a 20, 60, 100 grit sequence?

I'd only consider 20 if you know you need to remove significant material--such as when dealing with deep scratches or stains. Otherwise I'd start with 60. If that doesn't work quickly enough on the ...
isherwood's user avatar
  • 136k
17 votes
Accepted

run electrical conduit underneath hardwood floor?

Cut a few openings in your current subfloor, spanning across from the centers of joists, and pull flex conduit (or just cable if that's all that's needed). You'll easily be able to drill through the ...
isherwood's user avatar
  • 136k
16 votes
Accepted

Removed front closet doors and hardwood below is a different color

The rest of your floor has been stained a darker color and has also weathered with exposure to air. You have a few choices of how to handle this, listed here from hardest to easiest: Refinish the ...
Moshe Katz's user avatar
  • 2,696
14 votes

What is the best way to bridge a huge gap between hardwood and tile?

I think the solution can be even easier. Most hardware stores will carry uneven transition pieces. They're almost always wood and often are available in a variety of colored stains to match the wood ...
Machavity's user avatar
  • 24.7k
12 votes

Replacing hardwood floor in 100 year old house with no subfloor

I will repeat some answers that you already have but, it is all part of my answers that will have different nuances. To give my summary on the idea of floor replacement, and using the second picture ...
Jack's user avatar
  • 34.8k
12 votes
Accepted

We have mold under carpeting, what should I do?

Chlorine bleach does not enter wood pores, only the water component of a bleach mixture will do so, so you end up not killing any mold spores inside the wood; only on the surface. Either use cleaning ...
RibaldEddieTheGuest's user avatar
12 votes
Accepted

Removing water from oak hardwood floors

I believe you are going about the right way. Even when drying lumber using dehumidification techniques, it will take a least a week to get the moisture to start going down, 2 weeks to get a stack of ...
Jack's user avatar
  • 34.8k
11 votes

Replacing hardwood floor in 100 year old house with no subfloor

Considering the work and expense involved in replacement, I'd be looking hard at trying anything possible for squeak remediation. What comes to mind is injecting epoxy (or perhaps something else?) to ...
Ecnerwal's user avatar
  • 212k
11 votes

Chipped floor planks keep snagging my socks

When facing a similar issue in my home office (but with smaller bits of damage) I found a good color-matched wood filler, and applied it according to the package instructions. It has held up well, and ...
KMJ's user avatar
  • 11.2k
10 votes

Should hardwood floors go all the way to wall under kitchen cabinets?

Things may be different outside the UK, but I've never found the "top coat" flooring to go all the way to wall under cabinets. The cabinets generally have extendible legs so you can get the ...
Ralph Bolton's user avatar
9 votes
Accepted

Why does the riser go before tread when installing hardwood on stairs?

The riser is installed first for the reason that you want a nice tight fit along the top of the riser to the tread above it. There is always the possibility that there is a small variation in the ...
Michael Karas's user avatar
  • 64.4k
9 votes

Is it appropriate to sand a hardwood floor with a 20, 60, 100 grit sequence?

Start with the fine stuff, if it's too slow go for the coarser stuff. From the look in the photo, 60 or 100 would probably be suitable for the first pass. Hire a drum sander for the middle of the ...
Jasen's user avatar
  • 20.6k
9 votes

Is it appropriate to sand a hardwood floor with a 20, 60, 100 grit sequence?

Try starting with the 100 grit and see what happens. You can always switch down to a coarser grit and continue, then return to the finer ones later. From your photos, looks like the wood itself is in ...
Criggie's user avatar
  • 10.6k
9 votes

How to stain bleached wood to match its original natural colour (and then finish)?

It is going to be very difficult (on a really good day) to color match that and smoothly blend it in along the edges so that nobody knows that there's been a "patch" there. Matching stain is ...
FreeMan's user avatar
  • 47.2k
9 votes

Would wood markers hide this hardwood floor worn area?

I would not recommend wood markers for this type of repair. The best solution is to refinish the entire floor which means sanding it all down, applying an appropriate stain and clear coat. If you're ...
HoneyDo's user avatar
  • 8,754
8 votes

Should hardwood floors go all the way to wall under kitchen cabinets?

I did a similar job with tiles, but stopped the tiles at the base of the cabinet. Rationale for this decision was that if a tile near the cabinet cracked or otherwise became damaged, it was easier to ...
SteveSh's user avatar
  • 6,882
8 votes

Remove Trim/Baseboards Installed Prior to Hardwood Floors (No Leverage)

An oscillating tool is your friend. It looks like it would reach to the bottom nail. Looks like you were able to pull the top of the board out enough to get to the bottom nail. You also may be able to ...
BrianK's user avatar
  • 5,415
8 votes

Is it appropriate to sand a hardwood floor with a 20, 60, 100 grit sequence?

As one of the comments asks, what's wrong with the floor? It looks pretty good. If you're just wanting to add a new coat of finish, use a fine grit (120 or even higher) to scuff up the floor before ...
Llaves's user avatar
  • 259
8 votes
Accepted

How can I deal with gaps under shoe moulding?

Since you're not asking how to level the floor, and since that would be a much more substantial project requiring much more information, I'll just address the molding detail. Base shoe exists in part ...
isherwood's user avatar
  • 136k
8 votes

Removing water from oak hardwood floors

We had a refrigerator valve break, probably 4+ months ago or so, and like you, it was on top of 2" wide solid oak flooring that had been finished with several coats of polyurethane when we had ...
Milwrdfan's user avatar
  • 4,404
7 votes

How did they drive nails into hardwood before modern power tools?

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Don't discount the fact that everything was hand nailed at one point. Sheathing a building in board by hand works wonders for increasing efficiency with a hammer. ...
Matthew Gauthier's user avatar
7 votes

Should hardwood floors go all the way to wall under kitchen cabinets?

We do not install hardwood in kitchen under cabinets on the plumbing/gas wall. Your last row should sit about 1/4" from cabinets - you may need to rip these planks. I am a little perplexed at ...
DMoore's user avatar
  • 48.1k

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