Warped boards, oak floors, any way to restore?

Question

We just discovered an oak floor under the subfloor in our kitchen. Unfortunately, 2 of the boards are warped. The remaining floor is slightly damaged but fixable. I really want to save the floor. Short of going to a salvage yard and hoping to find similar boards does anyone know of any secrets. Most say it can't be done but i have seen 2 methods on line. Have you tried any? 1) drill holes; wet board; then screw board down and fill holes (I don't think this would allow for the natural expansion/contraction) 2) remove boards; wet and place heavy object or vice straight and allow to dry in sun. I would greatly appreciate any advice, especially if you have been successful! Thank you! Christian

Answer 1

In principle you can straighten warped boards by soaking them and then placing then in clamps to straighten them then letting them dry. In practice it doesn't work very well. It is much easier to warp a board than straighten it. If you decide to do this invest in clamps, do not just put heavy objects on the boards as it will not give you the needed control to straighten.
Myself, I would replace the boards then sand all the floor down to bare wood and refinish the whole floor. If the new boards still are a bit lighter you can buy a light stain and then stain them to match as closely as possible before sealing and finishing the floor.