Floors and skirting boards take constant wear. Floorboards squeak and lift as houses move. Skirting gets kicked, chewed by puppies and scraped by vacuum cleaners. Transition strips between carpet and tile come loose and become trip hazards. These are small repairs, but they make a big difference to how finished a room looks and how safe it is to walk through.

Leongatha Handyman repairs floors, skirting boards and trims in homes across Leongatha, Korumburra, Mirboo North, Meeniyan and the surrounding district.

Floor repairs

• Fixing squeaky floorboards
• Re-securing loose or lifting boards
• Replacing small sections of damaged floorboards
• Repairing gaps and splits
• Fitting and replacing threshold and transition strips
• Securing loose carpet edges at doorways
• Replacing damaged floating floor boards where spares are available
• Fixing loose stair treads

Squeaky floors

Squeaks come from boards rubbing against each other or against their nails as the floor flexes. Older houses on stumps, common across Leongatha, Korumburra and Mirboo North, often squeak because the timber has shrunk and the nails have loosened. We locate the joists and fix the boards down with screws or special squeak-repair fixings, then fill and finish the holes.

Older homes on stumps

Many of the older weatherboard homes in the district are built on timber or concrete stumps. Over time, stumps can settle or rot, leaving floors uneven or bouncy. If floors are badly out of level, sloping or springy, that suggests a restumping or subfloor issue, and a specialist restumping contractor should assess it. We can handle the small fixes once the structure is sound.

Skirting boards

• Replacing damaged lengths of skirting
• Matching profiles in older homes where available
• Re-fixing loose skirting
• Fitting quad or scotia along floating floors
• Caulking gaps between skirting and walls
• Painting new skirting to match

Period homes often have tall, moulded skirting that is not easy to buy off the shelf. We source the closest available profile, or in some cases build up a profile using two pieces.

Thresholds and transitions

Where carpet meets tile or timber, a transition strip finishes the edge and protects it. Loose or missing strips create trip hazards, especially for older residents. We fit aluminium, timber or vinyl strips to suit the floors.

What we do not do

We do not lay whole floors, sand and polish floors or restump houses. For those jobs, a flooring or restumping specialist is the right choice.

Timber floors in older homes

Many older homes in Leongatha, Korumburra, Loch and Meeniyan have original timber floorboards on stumps. As stumps settle and timber dries and swells, boards start to squeak, lift or separate. Common problems:

• Squeaks. Boards rubbing against each other or loose on the joists. We secure them with screws or nails into the joists.
• Lifted or cupped boards. Usually from moisture. We secure or replace them, and look for the moisture source.
• Damaged boards. Burns, holes, rot near doors. We replace sections with matching boards where possible.

If floors are uneven or sloping, the stumps may need restumping, which is a job for a builder or restumping specialist.

Skirting and quad

Skirting boards come loose, get damaged by vacuums and furniture, and open up as walls move. Quad and scotia trim around floating floors comes away. We re-fix, replace and caulk.

Transition strips

Where carpet meets tiles or timber, transition strips wear and lift. We replace them.

Floating floors

Small repairs to floating floors are possible. Large areas of lifting usually mean moisture or expansion problems.

Floors in older South Gippsland homes

Older homes around Leongatha, Korumburra and Mirboo North usually sit on stumps with timber floorboards over bearers and joists. Over decades, stumps can sink or rot, especially in wet clay soils, and floors become bouncy, uneven or squeaky. Boards shrink and gaps open, nails lift, and sections near doors and in kitchens wear through. Newer homes on concrete slabs have their own problems, such as lifting floating floors, damaged laminate or cracked tiles.

Leongatha Handyman repairs floors and skirting across the region. We fix squeaks, replace damaged boards, repair floating floors, refit skirting and fix the small floor issues that make a home look tired or create trip hazards.

Squeaky and bouncy floors

Squeaks usually come from boards rubbing against each other or moving on nails that have loosened. We refix boards with screws or specialist floor-squeak repair systems, often from above with a concealed fixing, or from below where there is access under the house. A bouncy floor can point to a sagging joist, a sinking stump or a missing support. We check underneath where access allows. Packing a stump or adding a support can often be done by a handyman; replacing several stumps (restumping) is a job for a specialist restumping company or builder.

Replacing floorboards

A damaged, rotten or burnt floorboard can be cut out and replaced. Matching older boards can be tricky, as many South Gippsland homes have Baltic pine, Tasmanian oak or other hardwood boards in sizes that are no longer standard. We source the closest match, sometimes salvaging boards from inside a cupboard or under a fixed unit and replacing those with new stock where they will not be seen. After a repair, sanding and finishing may be needed to blend it in; full sanding and polishing is a job for a floor sander.

Floating floors and laminate

Floating floors can lift, gap or peak when they are exposed to water, laid without enough expansion gap, or have heavy items placed on them. Leaks from dishwashers and washing machines are a common cause. We can lift and relay affected sections, replace damaged boards with spares you have kept, and refit skirting or scotia to restore the expansion gap. If the boards have swollen from water, the leak must be fixed first.

Vinyl and carpet joins

We can secure lifting vinyl edges, fix threshold transitions between rooms and replace damaged trims, door bars and transition strips. Raised edges between flooring types are a common trip hazard, particularly for older residents, so a well-fitted ramp or trim makes the home safer.

Skirting boards

Skirting boards hide the gap between the wall and floor and take a lot of knocks from vacuum cleaners, furniture and dogs. In older homes, skirting can come loose, split or rot near external doors and in bathrooms and laundries. We repair, refix and replace skirting, match profiles as closely as possible and fill, sand and prepare it for painting. We also fit scotia or quad to cover gaps at the base after new flooring has been laid.

Under the house

In stumped homes, access under the floor tells us a lot. We look for damp soil, poor ventilation, rotten bearers, failed stumps and signs of pests. South Gippsland’s wet winters and clay soils mean subfloors can stay damp for long periods. Good subfloor ventilation, through clear vents in the base of the house, helps timber stay dry. Blocked vents, garden beds piled against the walls and downpipes discharging next to the house all contribute to damp under the floor. We can clear vents, add vents in suitable locations and point out drainage problems. Signs of termites or borer need a licensed pest inspector, and we will recommend one if we see anything suspicious.

Doors that scrape the floor

When a floor drops or a new floor covering goes down, doors often start to drag. We trim and reseal the bottom of the door, adjust hinges and adjust the strike plate so it closes and latches properly.

Trip hazards and safety

Lifting boards, raised edges, loose thresholds and torn vinyl are trip hazards, especially for older people, children and anyone with mobility issues. Fixing them is quick and often low-cost, and it is one of the most effective ways to reduce falls at home. We look out for these during every visit.

Rentals and sale preparation

Damaged boards and loose skirting stand out at inspections. For landlords, property managers and sellers, we fix these items quickly and send before-and-after photos.

Tiled floors

Cracked floor tiles, drummy tiles and failed grout can be repaired. We remove and replace individual tiles using spares where available, and regrout sections. Large areas of drummy tiles may point to a bigger problem with the substrate, and we will tell you if retiling is the better option.

Wet areas and floors

Floors in laundries, bathrooms and around kitchen sinks suffer most from water. Swelling, soft spots or a musty smell near a wet area may mean a slow leak. Have a plumber check for leaks first, then we can repair the floor and skirting. Resealing the joint between the floor and the base of cabinets and the bath stops water getting under the floor again.

What to tell us

Let us know the type of floor (timber boards, floating, laminate, vinyl, carpet or tiles), whether there is access under the house, and send photos of the problem area. If you have spare boards or tiles left over from when the floor was laid, keep them handy; they make a matching repair much easier.

Squeaks on stairs

Timber staircases squeak where treads and risers have shrunk apart. We refix them from above with concealed screws, or from below with glue blocks where the underside is accessible.

Matching finishes after a repair

New timber boards are lighter than old boards that have aged under polyurethane or oil. After a repair, we can apply a stain and clear coat to blend the new section in as closely as possible. The match improves over a few months as the new timber ages. For a perfect, uniform result across a whole room, a professional floor sander can sand and recoat the entire floor once the repairs are done.

Before you book

Clear furniture away from the area if you can, and let us know about any pets that may need to be kept out of the room while boards are lifted and glue or finish is drying. If the repair is near an external door, we will plan it so the house can still be locked securely at the end of the day.

Where we work

Leongatha, Korumburra, Mirboo North, Meeniyan, Koonwarra, Dumbalk, Inverloch, Tarwin Lower, Nyora, Loch, Poowong and nearby.

Frequently asked questions