Repair Termite Hole in Hardwood Floor

Termite damage is serious business. Have an exterminator inspect under the house, outside and inside. Termites must have come up through the foundation, the subfloor, and then through the top flooring to make this damage. Extermination will be expensive, but maybe your homeowner's insurance will pay part of it. Extermination for termites should be guaranteed. If you see tiny flying ants after the termite treatment, the exterminator should return for free. Best wishes 😇

Two questions. 1. Yes, you can follow these directions for laminate. Hardwood is usually much more expensive, and worth the trouble. However, for laminate, you might want to use wood filler from a tube or wood putty. Let it dry completely, then stain and texture.

2. The first thing to try is to pop the board back into place. Wrap your hammer in a towel or thick dishcloth. Slowly and firmly, hammer on one side of the board, trying to slide that side back into the board beside it. Then hammer each end in the same way. Last, hammer the remaining side in very gently, a little at a time. If this works, lucky you. If it does not pop into place, you will probably have to replace the board.

To replace one laminate board, pry it up as carefully as you can so as not to damage other boards. You may have to scrape glue from the open space so there is a smooth surface underneath. If you damage more, you will have to replace more. In the best case, you will have kept at least one box of the boards to use for repairs. If you have to buy more boards, don't trust your memory or even a photo to match. The color can vary from one year to the next even with the same name. Scrape all the dried glue or dirt from the space left by the damaged boards. If you see water damage, stop, find and repair the damage first. If there is a separate padding under the boards, check it and replace with a similar material. Now you are ready to go to the previous paragraph and follow those directions. Best wishes 😇