Floorboard repairs can be a tough project for anyone to take on. However, with careful planning and attention to detail, you can make your floorboard repairs easy and effective every time.
When thinking about how to avoid making mistakes when fixing up your wooden floorboards, you should ask yourself: what makes a good floorboard repair in Melbourne?
The answer is simple: it holds up! Your floorboard repairs should hold effectively for the lifetime of the house if not beyond; decades after they were done. So how do we ensure that our board repairs hold up and last their full life?
By avoiding the following fifteen common mistakes people make while doing their floorboard repairs.
1) Using nails only
Nails are just not as strong as screws. When working under the stress of millions of pounds of weight, nails will soon give up and snap off, leaving you back to square one for trying to figure out what to do with your floorboard repairs.
2) Not priming
Always prime or paint before doing any type of finishing work; it is a sin not to! Paints and topcoats bond better with primed surfaces and provide a longer-lasting finished product.
They also make the job much easier by offering more even coverage and faster drying times.
3) Trying to set too deep
If your board is still stable but you want it fixed permanently, always try getting the fastener (i.e.: screw or nail) as flush with the wood as possible. Any deeper and you risk splitting the board.
4) Not using proper techniques
Many different drilling or fastening techniques can be used for different types of flooring; each one has its unique advantages depending on what type of floorboard repairs you are doing.
Make sure to research before starting any project, not only will it make things much easier, but it will also give you a better-finished product.
5) Using old materials
Repairing floorboards is expensive enough; avoid buying old materials by checking out local stores (or even Craigslist!) first to see if they have anything in stock before having something custom made your repair job.
There’s nothing more frustrating than finding the materials you need to do the job only to find out that they are no longer available.
6) Screws too close together
Unless your board is still stable, never try putting screws or nails too close together; this can not only cause splitting or breaking but also weakens the board structurally.
7) Not using a pilot hole
Pilot holes give your boards more support and save you time later on so always drill your pilot holes before screwing in any fasteners.
8) Failing to measure twice
We’ve all been there: measuring once and then cutting something only to find out that we did it wrong and had to do it all over again!
It’s a huge waste of money and materials which could have been avoided if only we had measured twice.
9) Using too much force
When working with wood, you can ruin it very easily by using too much force. Be gentle and take your time; let the fastener do most of the work instead of you pushing down on it excessively hard.
10) Not knowing what to expect
Always know what types of questions to ask beforehand, especially if you are dealing with someone who does floorboard repairs for a living!
There’s nothing worse than going into a job not knowing how long it is going to take or having no idea about whether or not they will be able to finish the job promptly.
All these things can save you time and money, which could be the difference between having to pay more or not.
11) Not knowing how to use your materials
Never go into a job completely blind, especially when it comes to floorboard repairs!
There are many different ways to ensure that your materials work for you instead of against you so always do some research beforehand, watch videos if need be.
Every little bit counts because just one small mistake can have huge consequences.
12) Not being careful
Being careful is usually common sense but it’s also easy to forget about just how flimsy our boards are! Boards were made to bend, warp and break so don’t try anything too risky if you want your floors to last.
13) Not using enough materials
This mistake can be costly because it will not only require you to get more materials but it will also cause you to have to come back at a later date.
Always use the right amount of material so that you don’t have to return unexpectedly or for other reasons, making your floorboard repairs job cost even more money!
14) Hiring an amateur
Let’s face it: hiring someone who does floorboard repairs for a living is always better than hiring someone who just likes doing them on the side.
Amateurs are simply not worth their weight in gold, no matter how inexpensive their services are; professionals are much more reliable and get the job done much faster which means you can get back to what you need to do!
15) Not securing your work
Before leaving, always double-check that your boards are secure and safe for any foot traffic.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget about precautions like this but you never know when someone will be coming up behind you or even just walking by.
It only takes a second of inattention for something bad to happen so take the extra time and be cautious!