12th And Oak Floor Co.
Finished 3.25 inch red oak floors after seamless water damage repair and full refinish in Hocutt Farm Flowers Plantation Clayton NC, back door area indistinguishable from original floor
Repair

Water Damage Repair + Full Refinish, Hocutt Farm

A leaking back door had silently damaged the hardwood and subfloor in this Hocutt Farm home in Flowers Plantation. Demoed the compromised boards and subfloor, replaced with new 3.25" red oak over Bona R540 moisture barrier, and returned after acclimation to sand and finish the entire floor. The repair area is completely invisible. Even the homeowners' realtor could not identify where the work was done.

Location

Hocutt Farm, Flowers Plantation, Clayton, NC

Service

Hardwood Floor Repair + Refinishing

Species

Red Oak, 3.25"

Finish

Custom Blended DuraSeal Stain + Bona IntenseSeal + Bona Traffic HD

Completed

2021

The Challenge

Exterior door leaks are deceptive. By the time the floor shows visible damage, the subfloor underneath has often been taking on moisture for months. Here the leak had worked through both the hardwood and the subfloor below, requiring a full demo of the affected section before any repair could begin. The bigger challenge was the invisible finish line. The homeowners were preparing to sell and the realtor would be walking the floor. The repair area had to blend completely with the existing 3.25" red oak throughout the rest of the house -- not close, not nearly-matching, but indistinguishable. That meant getting the subfloor rebuild exactly right, acclimating the new boards properly, and then finishing old and new together as one continuous surface with a custom stain blend matched to the existing floor.

What We Did

We demoed the damaged hardwood and compromised subfloor section, rebuilt the subfloor, and installed new 3.25" red oak with Bona R540 moisture barrier underneath. After the new boards were installed we let the floor acclimate fully before touching it -- rushing this step on a repair next to an exterior door is exactly how you end up with movement and visible seams. Once moisture readings confirmed the floor was stable, we came back and sanded the entire first floor as one surface. Water popping before stain opened the grain evenly across old boards and new. The custom blend of DuraSeal stain was developed to match the existing floor tone. Bona IntenseSeal locked the stain, followed by Bona Traffic HD. Standing anywhere in the room, there is no seam, no color shift, no indication that any boards were replaced. The realtor asked for Izral's card.

Before

Water damaged subfloor and hardwood demo in progress in Hocutt Farm Clayton NC, new plywood patch installed, damaged boards removed around back door
Demo complete and subfloor rebuilt. The new plywood patch replaces the water-damaged section near the back door. The existing 3.25" red oak surrounding it will eventually be sanded and finished together with the new boards as one continuous surface.

During

Bona R540 moisture barrier applied and new red oak boards going in during repair at Hocutt Farm Clayton NC, staggered board cuts at repair boundary
Bona R540 moisture barrier down on the rebuilt subfloor and new boards going in. The staggered cuts at the repair boundary are intentional -- varying the joint lengths is what makes the lace-in disappear once the floor is sanded and finished.
New 3.25 inch red oak installation in progress at repair area in Hocutt Farm Clayton NC Flowers Plantation
New 3.25" red oak boards going in across the repair section. After installation the floor was left to fully acclimate before any sanding -- moisture equilibrium in a repaired section near an exterior door has to be confirmed before you touch it.
Repair area installation complete in Hocutt Farm Clayton NC, new red oak boards fully installed matching existing floor
Installation complete in the repair section. New and old boards running together. The color difference between new and old wood is visible here -- sanding will eliminate it entirely.
Lagler Hummel drum sander mid-pass on red oak floors in Hocutt Farm Clayton NC, lighter repair area visible at right
Lagler Hummel mid-pass across the main floor. The repair area at the right shows the lighter new wood -- it is at the same level as the surrounding floor, which is exactly where it needs to be at this stage. One more pass and the contrast is gone.
Lagler Hummel angle cut sanding red oak floors in Hocutt Farm Clayton NC Flowers Plantation
Lagler Hummel running at an angle cut across the floor. The diagonal pass removes high spots and blends the repair boundary faster than following the direction of the boards.
Bona PowerDrive planetary sander four rotating heads viewed from below during hardwood refinishing in Hocutt Farm Clayton NC
Looking straight up at the Bona PowerDrive from below -- all four planetary sanding heads visible. Each head rotates independently while the whole unit orbits, which is what allows it to remove material evenly across both soft and hard grain without dish-out.
Entire red oak floor sanded bare in Hocutt Farm Clayton NC, back door wrapped in blue protective film, repair area fully integrated with existing floor
The floor fully sanded -- new and old wood at the same level across the entire surface. The back door is wrapped in blue protective film. The repair area, which was near this door, is now indistinguishable from the surrounding floor. This is the result of proper sanding technique across both old and new boards together.
Three DuraSeal custom blend stain samples side by side on sanded red oak floor in Hocutt Farm Clayton NC, comparing tones before committing
Three custom blend candidates tested directly on the sanded floor before committing. The blend on the left reads darker and warmer, the center and right progressively lighter. Testing on the actual floor in the actual light is the only way to know what a custom blend will look like once the finish goes over it.
Finish application in progress on stained red oak floors in Hocutt Farm Clayton NC, wet coat showing window light reflection
Finish going down over the stained floor. The wet coat catches the window light across the grain. Bona IntenseSeal first to lock the custom stain, then Bona Traffic HD on top.

After

Finished red oak floors throughout Hocutt Farm Clayton NC after full refinish, custom DuraSeal blend, Bona Traffic HD, rooms visible through doorways
The finished floor running through the main level. Custom blended DuraSeal stain, Bona Traffic HD. The floor reads consistent from room to room -- new boards and original boards indistinguishable.
Finished red oak floors near back door after seamless water damage repair in Hocutt Farm Clayton NC, repair area completely invisible in finished floor
The finished floor at the back door -- the exact area where the water damage was, where the subfloor was replaced, where the new boards were installed. There is no visible seam, no color shift, no indication anything was ever repaired here. The homeowners' realtor walked this floor and asked for Izral's card.

Products Used on This Project

Bona R540 roll-on moisture barrierCustom blended DuraSeal stainBona IntenseSealBona Traffic HD
“We wanted to get our floors redone, and Izral was able to do up front due diligence to identify subfloor damage in an area around an external door. Izral was able to replace boards seamlessly in a manor that even our realtor couldn't notice anything had been repaired, and she asked for his card for future work. Izral did a lot of the work himself, and the 12th and Oak team was in and out within a week for a full first floor sand stain and seal. Excellent service and expertise that made us know the job was done right.”

Peter Venema, Hocutt Farm, Clayton NC

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