Patching a wooden block floor. Help, advice, information, answers and tips on all types of flooring from laminate and carpet to timber and vinyl

[milliefive]

Hello,
We've just moved to a 1946 house and found a wooden block floor in the living room. It's in not a bad state, a bit paint spattered and some stain around where a rug used to be, but rescuable. The main problem is an area of concrete where a hearth stone used to be.

Next door is a mirror image of our house and their floor has been patched. It's not invisible, but it's acceptable, and we want to do the same.

What do we need to do?
How do we identify what the wood is?
Where do we buy the replacement blocks?
How do we fit them after digging out the concrete?
Any tips for the sanding and sealing afterwards?

There are french doors in the room, which let in a lot of sunlight, so we thought that staining the finished floor would be a waste of time as it would fade. Is this right?

Many thanks!

Joanna

[stoneyboy]

milliefive,
"What do we need to do?" dig out the old hearth, form new sub floor incorporating a DPM giving enough clearance for the wood blocks.
"How do we identify what the wood is? Where do we buy the replacement blocks?" Go to a reclaim yard and see what they have in stock.
"How do we fit them after digging out the concrete?" you'll probably need to melt bitumen and lay the blocks in this.
"Any tips for the sanding and sealing afterwards?" Hire a floor sander and polish the floor.
end