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How to seal large gap on trapdoor in jarrah floorboards?

Hi everyone - I'm new here and have looked at some similar issues with gaps in hardwood floors but I couldn't find an exact answer for my particular problem.

I have recently moved into a very old house (circa 1910s build!) and there are a lot of square cutouts (trapdoor?) in the jarrah floorboards. Some of them are well sealed but there is one in particular that is quite loose and has a huge gap - 1cm wide and about 20cm long, see below:

For now I've the covered the gap with some painter's tape 😅 I know that a gap that big can't be closed with wood filler, but considering that it's only a small section of the floorboard that has already been cut, is it possible to DIY by sourcing a small section of jarrah floorboards to add to the existing floorboards? The whole area measures 26x40cm

Thanks!

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EricL

Hello @dailyjuice

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about your Jarrah floorboards.

If you can find a small piece of Jarrah to patch that gap, that would be the ideal solution. I'm quite confident that you can do it as a D.I.Y project. The challenge will be to find a stain that will match your current floor colour. Your best option is to go to the stores stain and varnish sample board in the paint department and bring one of your trap doors and see which one is similar to your floor finish. My best advice is to make sure to put a bucket over the hole in the floor while you are at the shop to make sure no one falls into it.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @Nailbag for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

Nailbag

HI @dailyjuice

I would be inclined to try and source 2nd hand/used Jarrah floorboards and replace the left of both pieces as it will be your best chance to match the shade of finish. And yes an easy DIY project. The open section will allow you to pry up the first board.

Nailbag

Dave-1

Morning @dailyjuice

I would try and source replacement timbers and then switch them out once found. I have replaced a floorboard on a room join before with similar staining (was lucky to find one that matched the style of timber) I had to pack it up from underneath to make it level but you cant tell at all. The room was then sanded so I wasnt worried about matchy match other then the type of grain.

01 12-08-2013.jpg

The base board cover that was covering an old wall plate

02 12-08-2013.jpg

The size I had to find, in the end I found the same type but it was 17-18mm, so I had to pack it up to make it level

03 12-08-2013.jpg

The new piece before I packed it up, The whole floor was then sanded back.

I hadnt done a match and replace job before but it was satisfying figuring out the heights 🙂

Places to find old timbers-

Old timber yards (there are a few around that you can find and then just go for a drive with your "sample square" and troll through, I like @EricL 's covering solution while you do lol

-Mens Timber sheds.

-Old places getting torn down are sometimes advertised on social media.

-Drive by's on the side of the road 🙂 The best of the lot, remember the colouring and grain you are after more then the type,tho it would be nice to have the same type of timber.

Or you could go for heightening the look by putting a metal frame around the hole and then reusing the timber you have as an insert. Picture a brass edge square, it could look stylish. Something like this but in black or brass colouring QEP 25mm x 1m Transition Cover Trim framing the hole.

Dave

MitchellMc

Hi @dailyjuice

Ooooh, globbits! That’s a mighty big gap—hope you ain’t hearin’ any strange noises from down there! If somethin’ starts groanin’ or scuttlin’, best to nail it shut and stay away from that tap door! Otherwise, yer best bet is findin’ some second-hand jarrah to patch ‘er up nice and snug. Bit of sanding, bit of stain, and no one’ll ever know—except whatever’s lurkin’ underneath.

Sorry, I had a flood of 90's nostalgia come through. Seriously, though, everyone has provided great advice. Is there any location around the home where a donor board could be removed, perhaps in a cupboard or under cabinetry? If you can't find a suitable replacement board, I'd be trying to graft a similar type of timber into the gap.

Mitchell

Nailbag

Hi @dailyjuice

I like the idea of @MitchellMc in finding suitable donor boards from the house. It would make life a lot easier in matching. I have done this before now I think of it. I swapped out the damaged section from a wardrobe, which later I filled the damaged section and eventually carpeted over.

Nailbag

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