Calling the BT DIY crew - wood floors help

I was actually going to suggest this too.

1) Try this solution as a short-term fix: Cover the hole in plywood and cover the plywood with a rug plus chair, couch, coffee table, whatever.

2) Leave it like that for 6 months.

3) If, after six months, you just can't stand having the new arrangement, call a pro to repair the wood floor.

For me, flooring and drywall are two things I always hire out because getting the final work to look good and match existing surfaces is tricky and usually takes real skill to accomplish.

I am assuming that you have hardwood (probably Oak) tongue-and-groove flooring.

This is a major PITA project, but it can be done.

The biggest problem in patching a hole in a hardwood floor is that, unless you stagger the joints of the flooring, it will obviously be a patch because the edges of the hole will still be defined by the joints.

To get the flooring loose you have to sacrefice a board so that you can get under the rest and pry them up. Split it first with a circular saw (set to a shallow depth) and then finish with a hammer and chisel. This will allow you access to the edges of the neighboring boards.

Tongue and groove flooring is typically only nailed through the tongue side of the board (using a power nailer and special hardened nails).

When reinstalling the flooring, you will probably have to remove the bottom side of hte groove to allow the board to fit in place (assuming that you have been able to find flooring that's the same size as your existing stuff.

Think seriously about just buying new flooring for the area and refinishing the floor in the affected rooms.

Call a pro, get an estimate.