Help identifying hardwood flooring type

I'm remodeling my home including patching in some areas of hardwood floor when walls were removed etc. The home was built in 1923 and the floors are original. The 1st floor is probably too dirty and worn at this point to identify the wood. But below are photos of the 2nd floor, poly no stain, that was refinished last year (Ok it's a little messy, I said I was in the middle of a remodel). It is real hardwood, I believe it is Maple.

Can someone confirm what type of wood this is? More specifically is it premium Maple (only white wood) or is it natural Maple (mostly white with a darker color mixed). To me it looks like it is natural Maple but I'm thinking in the back of my mind, maybe I just didn't do a great job sanding all the old poly off.

 

Kind of looks like maple. A closeup that is in focus would help.

 

Maple was my first thought when I saw it.

 

I'm remodeling my house by removing the wall between my kitchen and dining room. It is now one long room. The problem is there isn't any (solid) hardwood floor where the wall was, so there is now a 4 or 5 inch gap. I've patched in pieces of flooring before, but one end always butted up to a wall, and if I were an 1/8 or even a 1/4 inch off that was fine because it would be covered up by the wall and/or molding.

My question is how can I patch the missing boards, without having a gap at one (or both) ends? Like I mentioned it is now a long room and replacing the boards from the center to one of the ends of the room would make this an extremely larger project.

 

Below is a close up. I also think it is Maple, but do you think it's natural Maple or premium Maple?

 

Maple or birch would be my guess.

 

From all the color and grain variation...I'd say natural. That will make it easier to blend in the new section.

 

I merged your two threads since the pictures in one would likely help get the other one answered.

 

Putting in short pieces will not look very good as the end joints will be lined up instead of staggered. To keep all boards running in the same direction some of the boards should be removed and new boards 'weaved' in. This will result in staggered end joints. Another option, which may or may not look good would be to install the patch boards perpendicular to the existing boards.

 

Ok. As far as patching new boards in, I guess I should have explained that I won't be just patching the 5 in gap with boards, but weaving them in.

That being said are there any tips to measuring, cutting and fitting a board that will fit tightly between two other boards?

 

A lot depends on whether you have, or can find boards the same size with the same tongue and groove configuration; that would help a lot.

If you have a closet or other area that is not so prominent, you may want to consider removing the boards from there as they are likely to fit a lot better. Then you can patch in new boards where they will not be so prominent.

My tools of choice for a repair like this are a low angle block plane and a rabbet plane. They allow you to trim small amounts off the tongues and grooved edges where necessary. In general you cut the boards a tad longer than needed and plane the ends to get a good fit. A power miter saw also lets you shave just a tad off the ends and that may be easier if you are not used to using hand planes. Whether using a plane or the miter saw, it helps to back bevel the end cuts a few degrees. It provides a little relief for the majority of the board while allowing the top face to fit tightly.

You will have to remove the bottom edge of the groove on at least one board so it can be dropped in place, and that board will have to be face nailed.

Wood filler will take care of minor imperfections.

 

Thanks for the tips, Paul. They helped a lot. What brand of wood filler do you recommend?

 

I generally use Famowood, choosing a color that will be close the background color of the wood, whether it will be left natural or stained. You can even mix colors to get a closer match if necessary.

Famowood is solvent based. A lot of folks prefer latex based fillers but I don't have enough experience with them to make a recommendation; perhaps others here will....

With any wood finishing project, it's a good idea to make up a few sample boards to test your finishing process and materials before you do a large area.

Are you planning to sand the refinish the entire floor after you do the repair?