Wood – What are the options for hardwood floor scratch and gouge repair

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I have a 10 month old puppy who recently discovered her (apparent) love for the taste of wood putty. There was a rather large knot hole that had been plugged and finished in our living room floor that she spent considerable time chewing out.

So now what we have is a about a 1/4in deep knot hole surrounded by deep scratches from where her teeth dug in.

What is the best option for repair? The guy at my local hardware store recommended sanding the area out, building it back up with putty, and then restaining. I do have several cans of the original stain/varnish so I'm hoping to get a pretty close match. Please help!

Best Answer

One option is to replace the board.

You would need to:

  1. Cut out the old board.
  2. Find a board that matches the type and grain of the rest of the floor
  3. Install the new board.
  4. Stain it to match.
  5. Buy your dog a chew toy. :)

UPDATE

You can remove most of the old board by:

  1. Cutting it out with a circular saw.
  2. Using a hammer and chisel (or even a flathead screwdriver) to chip out the ends.
  3. Chisel out the old tongue from the groove in one of the boards still in the floor.

To fasten the new board:

  1. I would apply a liberal amount of would glue to the subfloor.
  2. Slide the tongue of the new board down into the old groove (that you chiseled out).
  3. Put a few face nails in the new board.
  4. Fill and sand the nail holes.
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