How can I fill gaps in the floorboards, and between floor and door frames?

squeakysim

So now that I’ve decided I want to expose the floorboards underneath the carpet of my new home, I’ve exposed a couple of problems that need to be solved! 

1. There’s approx. 10mm gap that has been exposed between the base of the doorframe and the flooring in a couple of locations. How on earth can I cover this gap cleanly without it looking like a bodge? First thought is to use a timber strip of some sort, but it’s gonna need to be pretty sizeable due to the gap. 

2. How can I fill this gap in the floorboard?? It’s probably 20mm wide so would need to be pretty robust to be able to stay in place I would think!

MitchellMc

Hi @squeakysim,

For the gap under the doorframe, the best approach is to cut a piece of timber to suit the space, then glue and nail it into position. Once it’s secure, you can sand it back flush with the frame and paint it to blend in. It’ll give you a clean, solid finish without looking like a patch job.

As for that 20mm floorboard gap, you’ve got two main options. The ideal fix is to remove the entire board and replace it with one of the correct length. But if that's tricky or the rest of the board is in good shape, you can fit a new section of timber into the gap. You’ll just need to add some support underneath—either by fixing in a timber block between the joists or running a small batten beneath the gap—so the new piece has something to be attached to. That’ll help ensure it stays in place and copes with foot traffic over time.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell