How to repair a cracked floorboard

Cracked floorboards can make your home feel less cosy, but completing a quick floor repair is straightforward. Knowing how to fix a cracked floorboard yourself will increase the lifespan of your flooring, so watch our handy how-to video first, and then follow our step-by-step guide below.

Useful links

TOOLS

MATERIALS

Wood filler

USEFUL LINKS

Prepare your floor by chiselling away loose wood chippings and vacuuming up splinters.
Apply pre-mixed wood filler for timber.
Sand the dried filler in circular motions and apply matching stain or hard wax.

Planning and preparation

Some wood filler will need to be mixed, but the filler we’re using is pre-mixed. Be careful not to run your bare hand or fingers across the dent, as this will likely result in splinters.

This guide focuses on hardwood floor repair, as laminate floor repair often involves replacing the damaged boards entirely.

Step-by-step guide

First, use a chisel to break away the loose wood chippings in and around the chip/crack. Then use a vacuum cleaner to ensure all wood splinters are cleared away. Once the debris has been cleared, put on your protective gloves and use your filling knife to scoop out enough pre-mixed wood filler to fill the chip/crack.

Push the wood filler into the chip/crack, then smooth it over with your filling knife to cover it. There should be a small amount of excess filler on top of the chip/crack, which we’ll later sand down to get a flush finish. Give the filler enough time to dry completely before continuing.

After the filler has dried, rub the fine sanding block in a circular motion to remove the excess filler until it’s level with the floorboards.

Finally, hoover up the dust this may have created and use a damp cloth to clean up any remaining filler/dust around the treated area.

After the repair has concluded and the chip/crack is filled we recommend staining it or using hard wax to match the area to the rest of the flooring.

And that’s it! We hope this floor repair guide has been useful, and your cracked floorboards now look as good as new. If you’ve got a carpeted floor instead, have a read of our guide on how to get rid of dents in your carpet.