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Hey all,
We recently purchased a unit and pulled up the old carpet. In the area where the metal carpet strip was removed we found holes on either side in the hardwood floor. My best guess is moisture got into the carpet here and was held in by the strip (just a guess as the area has no other water damage in the roof or surrounds, and isn't near a window or pipes)
We don't want to replace the whole thing as we're planning to put floating floors over it. So, how should we go about patching it for that? Or is it ok to put the floating floors over the top? 
For context, directly below is the crawlspace below the unit. Critters coming up is a concern.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @JJclueless. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about repairing a floor.
For a floating floor, those holes in the subfloor aren’t going to structurally compromise the installation as long as the surrounding boards are solid and not spongy or rotting. Floating floors don’t rely on the subfloor for fixing; they just need a flat, reasonably level surface.
If you want to tidy it up and minimise the chance of critters coming up through the holes, there are a couple of ways to handle it. The simplest is using a good-quality timber filler or putty. For deeper holes, you might need to apply it in layers so it doesn’t sag or fall through. The cleaner, more durable option is to make timber plugs that match the size of the holes, coat them with a bit of PVA wood glue, tap them in, and trim them flush with the floor surface. This gives a solid, long-term patch.
Before doing anything, though, it’s worth taking a peek from the crawlspace underneath. Check that the floor joists and boards around the holes are still in good shape. If there’s no significant rot or water damage, filling the holes and laying your floating floor over the top should be perfectly fine. Just make sure the area is clean, dry, and level before you start your floor install.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
