My hot water system leaked and has damaged the Tassie oak hardwood overlay boards. They measure 135mm across but I can only find 130mm width. Will I be able to ensure a smooth transition with sanding and polishing eventually? These are on a concrete slab with a ply subfloor. Any tips much appreciated.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @sarah.parker. It's great to have you join us, and many thanks for your question on replacing floorboards.
If the replacement boards are the same thickness as your existing flooring, then the difference in width is really only a visual issue. You should still be able to achieve a smooth, level transition once the boards have been sanded and polished.
The bigger challenge is likely to be matching the existing flooring. Even if you find another Tasmanian Oak board, different batches can vary quite noticeably in both colour and grain. So while you may be able to achieve a physically seamless repair, it's unlikely the new boards will blend in perfectly with the existing floor.
Looking at your photos, it appears the damage is confined to a relatively small room. If that's the case, my advice would be to replace that entire section of flooring in that room, rather than trying to patch in a few individual boards. It will generally give you a much neater and more consistent result.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
