Could a floorer neatly remove and replace a patch of bamboo flooring to access floorboards?

[JamesJames]

I have bamboo flooring installed in my house, floating on underlay. It's tongue and groove type -- this is it: www.bambooflooringcompany.com/all-flooring/construction-type/strand-woven-flooring/solid-natural-strand-woven-142mm-bamboo-flooring.html

I need to have a patch of it lifted in order to lift floorboards in order to plumb in a new radiator underneath them. My plumber says he doesn't have the skills to replace the flooring. Would a floorer be able to remove a patch of the flooring and replace it seamlessly? My understanding is that even though the flooring is floating the planks are glued to each other at the edges -- presumably that would make it difficult to separate them? (I can fairly easily buy new bamboo planks if any get damaged, by the way).

This seems a really naive question, I know, but the flooring is currently done so neatly I can't see how it'd be possible to take a patch out and replace it seamlessly! I'd be very grateful for any help -- I'm not very experienced with flooring.

I'm not sure

Does a 'floorer' even exist?

There are plenty of people who advertise themselves as laminate/wood flooring installers, yes, although in terms of formal "trades" it is probably subsumed into carpentry.

Probably not seamless.

A small circular saw, carefully used, might cut a slot less than 3mm wide, and the piece could be lifted out. I think you would have to fill the slot afterwards with silicone or something, as good a colour match as you could manage. It will not be invisible if you know where to look, but a casual visitor might not notice.

Hi John

Thank you for your reply. I was envisaging taking out and replacing whole planks rather than slicing into them -- is this not possible? (perhaps because they're glued together at the edges?)

I think you will find they are clipped together all along the long edges, and probably the short edges too. It's difficult to remove without cutting, but possible, if you start at the wall, and lift each entire strip the width of the room.

I was thinking of cutting out a hatch that can be put back afterwards. Make it bigger than the square of floorboards that will be cut out underneath, as it has to line up with the joists and some new noggins for support. You need a carpenter.