On Fri, 08 Dec 2006 01:50:19 GMT, "Em" wrote:

A friend hired a handyman to remove a half-height wall from a room with
hardwood floors, leaving a gap in the flooring. Then the handyman said he
didn't know how to fix the floor. Even if sections of new hardwood can be
cut and fit into the gap, is it even possible to finish the new pieces
without re-sanding the entire floor? Should I suggest re-installing a
half-height wall as a MUCH simpler alternative? Have you ever refinished
just one section of a floor without ruining the whole thing? Is this project
as atrocious as I think? Please suggest something.
-Em


I have fitted pieices into a hardwood floor, patching small areas. You
don't have to refinish the entire floor. I've sanded the new boards
with a hand finishing sander and then have applied polyethylene coats
with a small paint brush.

Ideally, you would pull out some of the boards and replace them with
longer sections crossing the former wall area. Thus you will not have
the joints lining up and it will look less patched.

If one studies the area, you can see that it is patched, however, to
me and to my tenants the results were acceptable.

Doug