Repairing damaged boards in hardwood flooring has to take into consideration the way tongue-and-groove hardwood boards are interlocked and blind nailed as shown in this step-by-step illustration.
This drawing from Chapter 10 of “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners” illustrates how this is done.
1. Shows a damaged board in a blind nailed tongue-and-groove hardwood floor.
2. After removing the broken board and its nails, a new matching board is cut to length and the wood below the groove is cut off.
3. The new board is then tipped into place, forcing the tongue into the adjacent groove, and the opposite edge is pressed into place. A bit of tapping and patience may be required. The cut off piece can be placed under the tongue before installing the board for extra support but isn’t really necessary.
4. Once the new board is in place, it is nailed to the joists through the face with 16-penny finish nails, sunk below the surface and filled with color-matched wood filler.
This is one of the more than 2000 photos and drawings used to illustrate the text in “Restoring Your Historic House, The Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners.”
Signed and personalized copies of the award-winning and bestselling hardcover book are available from the author in our online shop at YourHistoricHouse.com/shop/.
Our shop also carries select preservation and restoration titles by other authors. Save on cost and shipping with our multi-book combo packs!
“Restoring Your Historic House is also available in bookstores nationwide and from online retailers.
© Scott T. Hanson 2025.
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