I have a townhouse build in early 70′s with original hardwood flooring. There is a 2″ x 1/2″ knot missing and a light stain on the floor. What is the best way to fill the hole and blend it into the rest of the wood without redoing the entire floor?
Frank,
Thanks for being part of the show – we appreciate you listening!
You have a large gap in your wood floor from a missing knot! What to do?
There are LOTS of wood-fillers out there and many that are “stainable” – but the problem evolves when you realize the repair will most likely end up much darker than the rest of the area around it and some fillers have limits as to how “deep” they can be installed..
Some experts suggest using wax – like that found in children’s crayons – but that only works for smaller repairs.
For a larger repair like yours- look to liquid epoxy fillers. They are hard and durable.
If you have a scrap of the wood material, create some sawdust from it and stain it with a stain that is a shade or two lighter than the floor. This is done because sawdust often acts like “end-grain” and soaks up a lot of stain quickly – often making such repaired areas too dark. This is the “experimental” phase of the repair and it is suggested you go slowly and create a few “samples” to get the best color match.
Mix your stained sawdust – thoroughly – with the epoxy using more sawdust than epoxy and pack it in to the repair. Follow manufacturer’s directions for preparation and timing!
Put just a little bit extra material in the repair so you can then sand it lightly even when the epoxy has completely set.
Sand lightly with fine grit paper – then clean and prep for your clear, wear, coat.
Always remember what the pro tradespeople have learned – you will always “see” that repair as though it is shouting at you – but if it is properly done, no one else will ever notice and THAT is the sign of a great repair!
God Bless,
The Guys