
This issue’s tip comes from Ron Teljeur of Surrey, B.C.-based Acorn Wood Floors:
I saw a comment on one of the many Facebook groups cursing shakes in white oak, and the pro mentioned a trick from marquetry where loose veneers were repaired by using an envelope to get the adhesive under the veneer without lifting and breaking the piece. I figured that was a great tip and tried it the first time on a floating floor repair where the lamellas had come loose from water damage but were not stained, so as long as I could get them down we could just sand them. I cut a small corner from the bottom of the envelope and mixed epoxy inside it. Using a thin pry bar, I lifted the veneer enough to slide the envelope under and then used a putty knife to squeeze the epoxy out of the cut corner. I did that in a few spots to get to all the loose boards and then covered it with wax paper so my weights wouldn’t stick to the floor. I tried the same thing on a shake board a few weeks later (shown in the photos here) and it worked far easier than my lamella repairs.