How to blend in this oak floor better?

[Gmb27]

Hi folks,

This weekend I removed a large built-in wardrobe that stood for 15 years (from a previous homeowner). This left a hole in the solid oak floor as the previous owner seems to have fitted flooring around the wardrobe! I managed to find matching oak flooring dimensions but the colour isnt correct as you can see in the images. The floor in this room goes through the entire downstairs unbroken, so stripping it back and refinishing the entire downstairs isnt an option at the moment

Any advice on how to blend this in a little better?

Thank you

Gary

 

[C.J.]

Pre finished assume? Have you tried hitting the new boards with a palm sander to see how easy of a job it will be? Much easier to do before the wood is installed so you don’t have to worry about juicing up the surrounding boards as much. Hopefully you have more replacement boards that you can practice with on getting the color to match.

Otherwise I think I would throw a rug over that.

 

[Gmb27]

Pre finished assume? Have you tried hitting the new boards with a palm sander to see how easy of a job it will be? Much easier to do before the wood is installed so you don’t have to worry about juicing up the surrounding boards as much. Hopefully you have more replacement boards that you can practice with on getting the color to match.

Otherwise I think I would throw a rug over that.

Thanks for your reply. Ive got plenty left over to play with - it is pre finished so ill try getting a few lighter oak stains and then testing. As its already fitted I wonder if i can tape up the surrounding planks to help avoid running over. Thank you

 

[C.J.]

Sanding the new boards without hitting the existing boards will be the hard part.

 

[Gmb27]

Pre finished assume? Have you tried hitting the new boards with a palm sander to see how easy of a job it will be? Much easier to do before the wood is installed so you don’t have to worry about juicing up the surrounding boards as much. Hopefully you have more replacement boards that you can practice with on getting the color to match.

Otherwise I think I would throw a rug over that.

Sanding the new boards without hitting the existing boards will be the hard part.

Perhaps a multi tool with sanding pad to keep a little more control than a in orbital...best laid plans...

 

[C.J.]

Do you have a closet you could steal some boards from? Use those to fill in the area in your bedroom then fill in the closet with the mismatched pieces. I know it involves doing it twice but it’s gotta be better than trying to sand, stain and refinish it good enough to blend.

Perfect match, no sanding or staining and all you gotta do is close the closet door and you’ll never see it.