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In my home office, there are parts of the floor that seem to be chipped off.

Their pointy edges keep catching my socks when I walk by.

How would you solve this problem?

Ideally the solution would not just solve the sock-snagging problem but also improve the appearance of those parts of the floor.

I have access to a Dremel and could try sanding them down, but I don't know what would happen and what I'd be risking.

chip in wood floor, photo 1 chip in wood floor, photo 2 chip in wood floor, photo 3

Ryan
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    What finish is on the floor? Do you have plans to apply more? – isherwood Feb 07 '23 at 21:52
  • For a home office that floor looks beaten up. You do seem lucky that it looks like real wood and sanding is possible, but do not think a dremal will be big enough, unless you want to take days doing it. – crip659 Feb 07 '23 at 21:56
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    Wearing shoes or just slippers till it is fixed will be safer. Those pointy bits that snag socks can also be driven into the skin of your feet. At best quite painful, but could get worst. Can also make you trip and hit your head on something hard. – crip659 Feb 07 '23 at 22:20
  • @crip659 I meant using the Dremel just in those tiny areas where chipping happened. – Ryan Feb 08 '23 at 01:03
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    @jsotola Obviously I prefer not to wear shoes or else I wouldn't have bothered to write this post. – Ryan Feb 08 '23 at 01:05
  • @isherwood I don't know what the finish is. I don't plan to adjust any part of the floor other than these few tiny parts with chipping. – Ryan Feb 08 '23 at 01:07
  • Possible you have zoomed in and are making those sections look bigger. The big sections seem to be at least 1x1 going up to about 2x3 inches. If the wood is split, will need to cut/sand back more to get to solid wood. – crip659 Feb 08 '23 at 01:15
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    I'd put some shoes on. – Alan B Feb 09 '23 at 08:53

2 Answers2

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These are "shakes" - this is where the lumber separates along the growth rings.

Fill the cracks with glue (PVA / polyurethane / epoxy / cyanoacrylate) then place cling wrap over them and weigh it down with a large bag full of sand (or something else soft and heavy) while the glue sets. Scrape off any excess glue, fill any voids with filler... and now the bad news. This is caused by moisture. You probably need to sand and re-finish the floor.

isherwood
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Jasen
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    Thanks for your answer. Wouldn't cling wrap then be stuck to the glue? 99.9% of my office floor looks great, so I won't refinish it. The only parts that need attention are these 3 spots here, each less than the size of a dollar bill. – Ryan Feb 08 '23 at 02:41
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    @Ryan you would be surprised at how many glues you can use that won't stick to plastic wrap. You're putting the glue in the wood though, not directly under the plastic wrap. Test the glue you plan to use just to be sure. – KMJ Feb 08 '23 at 02:47
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    it would stick a little but it peels off fairly easily. – Jasen Feb 08 '23 at 02:47
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    If you don't care that much about the floor being "perfect" afterwards: You can always just sand the bit around the spots you just glued. Yeah it'll leave a dent but is only a fraction of the effort – Hobbamok Feb 08 '23 at 10:07
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    @Ryan This will stabilise those areas to stop them getting worse, but you're still going to have the ridges/splits/divots that'll catch you. You need to sand it anyway before you revarnish it. And then any plastic wrap will be gone. – Graham Feb 08 '23 at 10:22
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    IDK about cyanoacrylate. IME it fumes too much and you end up with white edges. Epoxy or some type of clear resin would be the way I'd go. – Huesmann Feb 08 '23 at 13:35
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    CA glue has become quite popular in the woodworking community, @Huesmann. I'm not sure if the formulations that are sold for woodworking are different from the brand name Super Glue™ or its knockoffs. There are a wide variety of formulations for wood use, though, and none have the "white edge" issue. The fume issue is usually fairly short lived, as well. An epoxy or resin pour would certainly work, but is a _lot_ of effort... – FreeMan Feb 08 '23 at 15:19
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    for CA the wrap will reduce the fuming, any white edge condensate can be sanded off fairly easily. – Jasen Feb 08 '23 at 22:00
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    Since moisture is rarely confined to a small area, the important final step is to inspect the rest of the floor for any other spots that look like they might be close to separating. – bta Feb 08 '23 at 22:17
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When facing a similar issue in my home office (but with smaller bits of damage) I found a good color-matched wood filler, and applied it according to the package instructions. It has held up well, and is visible but not objectionable. That would be my first step in this case, as it's easy to undo or redo if you continue to have issues.

See the other answer as well from Jasen for what you should do to prevent this happening again.

KMJ
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    It's very important to bond the delaminated grain to the wood below. Just filling with putty will result in cracks and disintegration. – isherwood Feb 08 '23 at 14:13
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    To add to isherwood's point, these parts of the floor may experience heavy loads, such as a caster chair rolling over them. – dotancohen Feb 08 '23 at 14:51
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    Thank you both - I added reference in to my answer so people don't have to read the comments. – KMJ Feb 08 '23 at 19:16