Knock on wood

Transform damaged and dingy wooden flooring with expert techniques to return its structure and shine

- ROGER HUNT.

Minimal intervention is usually the key to preserving the patina of age that contributes to the character of wooden floors. Even so, the wear and tear of everyday life and damage from rot and infestation can take their toll. Some old floors benefit from sanding and refinishing to bring back their beauty. In other cases, repairs to the subfloor structure might be required.

HOW TO REPAIR

Before starting any work, it's important to establish whether your floor is structurally sound. You may need to lift the floorboards so the subfloor and joists can be repaired. At the same time, a flooring expert will assess the moisture levels and check for woodworm. If the subfloor is too badly damaged, parts can be cut away and replaced. Then the floorboards are replaced, sanded and finished.

Lifting floorboards requires care, especially if they're tongued and grooved or secretly nailed. If you're taking up an old floor you will always need some spare boards because they can be brittle and some are going to split,' warns Andy Walker of Artisan Timber & Flooring.

Most old floors will have gaps between the boards. For gaps up to 4mm, you can fill them with sawdust mixed with resin - ask your tradesperson to mix sawdust from the same floor to match the colour. For larger gaps, reclaimed wood slithers can be glued and hammered in to seal the crevices.