Alteration to Recently Laid Oakwood Floor Help, advice, information, answers and tips on all types of flooring from laminate and carpet to timber and vinyl

[burneyb]

Hi there. I'm Burney - I'm a punter looking for advice.

I have just had an oakwood floor laid in my living room, and also in my hallway. Because I did the jobs at different times with a few weeks in between, the flooring guy used a room divider to separate the two, and I agreed to this, even though the floor is the same level in both rooms.

A few weeks have gone by and I am regretting it, and wishing I had gone for a seamless look from one room to the other. I have some left over wood panels, and would like to use them to bridge the gap. I understand to do this would mean cutting and removing parts of existing panels, and cutting off edges of new panels, so it is unlikely to be a flawless finish, but I am confident it will be an improvement on the existing.

I have found it impossible so far to find someone who is willing to do it - I want to know from any professionals, am I asking too much for expecting someone to want to help me with this? I understand that it's not a straightforward job but I am prepared to pay someone for their time.

Or is this something anyone has encountered and solved on their own?

NB - I do not want to use the contractors who originally did the work, due to other issues related to their work on a number of jobs in the house.

Many thanks in advance for your advice.

B

[neil-the-handyman]

Hi,
Provided the floor levels are the same then to combine the two rooms is relatively easy. I presume that the oak flooring is the same thickness in both rooms.
Cut a parallel width between the two rooms. Choose a nice looking board and rip it down to the same width. Using the standard board will save you trying to recreate the chamfered edge. Cut the lower part of the groove off of the female edge. Rip the tongue off the other and using a router with appropriate spindle cut the same remaining part of the groove on the other side.
A membrane should have been fitted below the existing floor, with a bit of luck this will when cut away allow enough clearance for the edges of the two sections to be routed with a tongue. The adapted standard board should then be able to be fitted between the two areas.Reinstate the underlay/membrane to ensure the heights and integrity are maintained. Then glue the edges. The board can also be almost invisibly screwed down using tongue tights and or screwed. The holes rebated and plugged.
The change of direction acting as a threshold would under a door, or just seamlessly introducing one area into another.

Hope this helps,

Neil the Oxford handyman

[burneyb]

Thanks Neil, that's very helpful. You don't fancy a trip to London do you? ;-)

Many thanks for the advice.