Can I repair just the small damaged area of my parquet floor?

April 28, 2011 3:18 PM

A small section of my wood parquet flooring is cracked and/or buckled. When I step on this area it creaks and springs up. Can I replace only the damaged section?

The floor has been this way for a long time, so I don't believe moisture is a current issue. The parquet is of the older variety, individual cut pieces of wood and not complete ready-to-install tiles. There is a minor degree of color variance throughout.

posted by ranunculus to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

Perhaps you could look at the "squeek-no-more"-type kits. The screw holds the flooring segment down, and the head snaps off below the surface. You then fill in with some wood putty to hide the small hole.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:03 PM on April 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

I have often replaced individual pieces of parquetry: indeed, that's one of the advantages of the material, that you can fix a bit without replacing everything. However, the trick lies in finding another section that pretty well matches your floor. If you're skilled, you can take a piece that's not too close and dye it into range with wood dyes, but I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner. Remember to sand the new piece down to the level of the rest of the floor,or you will see it every time you walk into the room.
Alternatively, if the crack is not too serious, you can drill a small hole in the center of it, and with a syringe pump construction-grade wood glue into the hole: walk on it a bit to squoosh the glue around inside, and after a couple of days, when you think it's dry enough, put a dab of varnish over it to seal it: otherwise any stain you get on that section will go down the hole and spread on your other parquetry. This can really be a simple job if you take your time.
posted by alonsoquijano at 4:32 PM on April 28, 2011