Photo 1-Bore holes in the pieces to be replaced with a spade bit located close to the ends of the pieces.

Bore 1" diameter holes close to the ends of the pieces to be replaced as in photo 1. Use a spade bit, center the hole on the width of the boards and bore only through the flooring, not the subfloor.

Photo 2-Connect the holes with plunge cuts from a circular saw. Start the saw with the blade well above the floor, then ease it down into the wood.

Use a circular saw to make cuts connecting the holes, as in photo 2. Begin each cut with a plunge cut just ahead of one of the holes, and about 1/2" off the center of the board width. To make the plunge cut, first set the depth of cut on your saw to 3/4". Holding the guard in its open position with a finger, rest the front toe of the saw platen on the floor with the rest of the saw tilted up off the floor. Start the motor, and slowly plunge the spinning blade into the wood. Then push the saw until the blade breaks through the other hole.

Photo 3-Chop the ends of the pieces with a chisel until they break loose, then pry them out.

With an old chisel and a hammer, chop and pry at the pieces of flooring to remove them as in photo 3. Nails are usually placed where the tongue of the flooring meets the body of the piece, and they are angled in at 45o. Break the wood away from these and pull them ut with your hammer or a pliers.

Most flooring has tongues and grooves on the ends of the flooring as well as along the edges. Chop off exposed tongues on the remaining flooring so they will be out of the way when you fit in the new, as in photo 4.

Photo 4-Chop off exposed tongues on the ends of the existing boards with your chisel.

You may find rosin or felt paper under your flooring, which will probably get cut up in the process of replacing the wood. It's not necessary to replace this paper in the area of your repair, but be sure that you clean all chips and dust that get under it so that your new flooring will lie flat.

Carefully cut to length your new pieces of flooring so that the ends are square and the fit along the length is snug. To make square cuts on the ends, use a table saw with a miter gauge. Or, use a miter box and hand saw. Make the cut with your circular saw using a 90o guide to ensure that the cut is square.

Photo 5-Break the bottom lip off the groove edge of the replacement boards with a chisel, so that they can be slipped in place over the tongues of the existing boards.

So that the new pieces will fit into place, you must remove the lower portion of the groove on the groove edge of each piece of flooring. This is easily accomplished with a rip cut on a table saw, or you can chop it off with a chisel as in photo 5. Place the piece upside down on scrap plywood, then work your way down the piece from one end to the other making cuts with the chisel every few inches to break off the lip. Clean up the broken edge so that no splinters will get in the way of the piece as it is fit in.

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