Weave, Lace, Connect Hardwood Floors
Here’s an example of a very large weave in repair. The 
situation dealt with two rooms that were combined into one by removing a wall. The original installation did not line up in the two areas. Reasons being could be several as both rooms were started off the right side wall. The only real reason why the areas did not line up could have had to do with the baseboard heating. In other words, the installers started the installation off the wall differently in both rooms.
See the smaller lace repair video
Other Tools: Underlayment, vacuum, speed square, tape measure, adhesive, penny spacers, hammer and chisel.
Before and After
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Details About This Job
· Sand and finish job
· White Oak common #1
· Labor involved: 28 hours
The job took place in Northville, Michigan in a split level home built in the 60’s. The new owners wanted more space for a master bedroom so a wall was removed turning two bedrooms into one.
The entire upstairs area had existing #1 common White Oak installed when the home was built. What made the situation difficult was the two rooms were installed slightly differently so the flooring did not line up when the wall was taken out. A difference of 3/8 inch had to be made up for and the decision was to remove one side and weave or tie in new to match the area.
Multifunction Tool! Life Saver
Once one side was removed a considerable amount of time was spent “toothing” in boards so the new would tie in seamlessly. What made the job go quicker was the use of a multifunction tool. Years before this tool wasn’t available the procedure had to be done carefully with a hammer and sharp chisel work. The difference in time on this job with the tool probably amounted to a few hours.
Once all the new end joint areas were cut, the circular saw is brought in to cut the older boards out. You can view the entire procedure in the video below.
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Mulitifunction Tool |
Circular Saw |
A little history with this job shows at one time two smaller 
upstairs bedrooms were turned into one by removing a wall. Instead of weaving or tying in the two areas a feature strip area was added. Considering the two areas or rows are off by about 3/8 of an inch from one older room to another it was decided the only way to make this work was remove all the hardwood on one side and weave new to make it a seamless appearance.
No doubt the feature strip area probably squeaked constantly as they were weakly nailed. Two of the guys continue the removal process that all told took about 30 minutes to remove, sweep and haul away.
The actual lace in procedure starts with planning and selection of what boards need to be removed and ones that need to be cut back. Here the installer scribbles which boards get removed and which ones need to be cut.
Using a square the installer scores a line with a utility knife creating a starting point for the multifunction tool blade to rest in. This method prevents the blade from wobbling or jumping out of the scored area creating a perfect 90 degree cut.
Next the areas that will be removed are cut back with a circular saw shown with the arrows This releases some tension on the boards making them easier to remove. A simple wiggle with a screw driver or chisel and the pieces fall out easily, followed by a cleanup with the vacuum and we’re almost ready for the lace in procedure to begin.
Starting the job needs good planning, preparation, and a keen eye on following the direction of the existing room. Here the installers use a chalk line and one row of the existing as a guide. Once a line is established the crew spends time analyzing, checking reference points and also ponders how to begin with the baseboard heaters throwing a curve into starting the job.
How was it started? Far too time consuming to describe and show. We just hope you’re watching because you want to know the possibilities. For the DIY’ers..sorry folks we can’t give away all the secrets.
If you recall earlier both rooms were off by about 3/8 of an inch in the way they were originally installed. You’ll notice we’re running into a situation now where the old floor wants to run the show. That’s where spacers come into play. In this job five or six rows had to be spaced accordingly to keep up with the older room. Once the spacers are in place the boards are nailed and not removed until three or four rows later. Six or seven rows later, here the procedure is repeated until the new area aligns with the existing.
As the crew nears the finish line or the opposite wall more spacing is required to bring both areas into alignment.
Circular Saws
Multifunction Tool Many duties
