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Hide Scratches On Wood Floors – The average cost of new hardwood floor installation in 2020 was between $7,200 and $14,400 — and that’s just for a 1,200-square-foot home, according to HomeAdvisor. At such a high price, any small scratch or scuff on the floor is bound to cause a bit of panic. It’s a little hard to believe that we spend so much money on something that we just go through, but you have to admit: nothing is as homely as a slightly squeaky, perfectly polished, happily lived-in wooden floor.
But there is a difference between normal wear and tear and something more dramatic. You may have children playing on the floor with toy cars, scratching the surface in their eyes, or dogs running to greet you when you come home from work, leaving a hole in the wood next to the carpet. . Maybe it’s the original wood that came with your new home, or maybe you splurged on a fancy finish when building your dream home. However, the pure stress of the simplest scratch on your wooden floor is the same.
Hide Scratches On Wood Floors
Before you dip into your emergency fund to refinish your entire floor, we’ve rounded up a list of budget-friendly ways to repair the huge scratch on your hardwood floor. In the end, it will seem like nothing ever happened.
How To Easily Fix Scratches In Hardwoods And Furniture
We have good news: You may be able to fix a run-of-the-mill scratch without even going to your local hardware store. And, as a homeowner, you probably make enough trips to Lowe’s as it is. So, if the scratch seems minimal, it’s probably best to start with a home remedy.
Try to make a solution of equal parts olive oil and apple cider vinegar, for Family Handyman. Dab on the scratch, and let it sit; check after a day, and remove the mixture. The scratch should now be imperceptible. Note that this option works best for lower scratches on new floors with a newer finish.
No apple cider vinegar in the cabinet? BobVila.com recommends using a combination of baking soda and olive oil. Simply let it sit on the scratch for a few minutes, and then clean the wood. If your floors are unfinished or recently sanded when they were scratched, opt for coconut oil instead. Either option should have your floors scratch-free and with a little added shine to boot.
For superficial surface scratches — like the kind a dog or cat might leave on your floor — This Old House suggests a product like paste wax. There are also tint options for darker floors, making everything look seamless and good as new.
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All you have to do is let it dry, and then rub it on the floor so that the scratch is not detected. Just be warned: paste wax is not recommended for polyurethane floors, so do your research and know what type of floors you’re working with before going this route (via Jabara’s).
You can pick up a bucket of paste wax at your local hardware store to keep on hand for any additional problems. A one-pound bucket costs less than $7 at Home Depot, and there’s enough to tackle any future scratches that may pop up—without breaking the bank.
Joining pencils, pens, or markers work like wax paste, but can be a cheaper and easier-to-use option for repairing scratches. It all depends on what is best suited for your specific type of floor and finish. Polished Habitat said Minwax stain markers were a lifesaver for their floors, and the difference is clear as day with just one swipe of the marker.
Another pro tip? Unlike paste wax, you can switch off between the shades of stain with a pencil or marker, which allows you to accurately color the grain in your floors. Polished Habitat used a darker marker for some spots and a lighter one for others, which elevated this DIY fix into professional-looking territory.
Does Anyone Know A Decent Way To Repair Or Minimize The Appearance This Scratch On A Wood Floor?
With a blending pen, pencil, or marker costing less than $15 on average, this solution is viable for any budget level, especially when compared to the cost of new or refinished floors.
If you are in a hurry to remove a small scratch from older wood floors, you do not necessarily have to jump to the most expensive option and completely restore a small section. You might even have luck with the simplest hack of all, which might be in your kitchen pantry right now: walnuts.
BobVila.com explains that since walnuts “contain excellent natural emollients and brown dyes,” they act as a little-known solution to removing scratches and scuffs from your hardwood floors. Start with the walnut oil with your fingers, and then slowly work in the problem area of your floor. The process is similar to using coconut oil to repair a scratch. Let it sit for about five minutes, and then clean it with a rag or soft cloth. If you’re feeling particularly lazy, Wide Open Country also notes that you can pop the nut and rub it directly onto the stubborn scratch for a quick fix.
If none of the above hacks did the trick to remove the giant scratch on your wood floor, you may have to look into refinishing it. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean scrapping everything and starting over—chances are you can get the job done on a much smaller scale.
An All In One Guide To Clean And Maintain Wooden Floor
According to Family Handyman, the first step in a case like this is to start with a finished restorer. If it fails, try to match the finish of your floor and give it a fresh coat instead. The same applies to a stained floor: Do your best to match the color so that the edges of this new section blend perfectly with the rest. The new coat will cover the scratch without a hitch, but you want to be especially careful to make sure it doesn’t come across as a patch job.
Jabara notes a few extra precautions to take, such as using a roughing pad before going into the finish to clean up the raised edges left by the scratch. Once it is done, fill each groove with wood stove or putty, and then give it a light touch. While this is one of the more difficult items on the list – and more expensive, given the price of a new finish – it’s definitely worth a shot if it saves your precious hardwood floors.
And, if all of this sounds like a headache you want to avoid entirely, you might want to consider laminate flooring in the future. When you select the right plan for your home, you want to ensure at least one thing – it will last a lifetime (and your family) to it.
Little feet and paws can get stuck. Guests can visit, leaving only “Ooohs” and Aaahs. And your daily life can go on with the least worry of scratching your wood floor.
Does Wood Finish Sheen Have An Impact On Scratches?
So, to help you find the most durable wood flooring for your home, we’ve created this quick and easy guide with everything you need to know.
While any material can be scratched (yes, even diamonds), some materials are more resistant than others. The same can be said for the wooden floor.
To determine the strength of a wood, a measuring tool called the Janka Hardness Scale is used. The resulting score, called the Janka Rating, then determines how hard a hardwood really is. The bigger the number, the harder the wood.
For example, Brazilian Cherry ranks at almost 3,000 on the Janka Hardness Scale. Meanwhile, Yellow Pine scores well under 1,000. This means that Brazilian Cherry is very strong, while Yellow Pine is less.
How Does One Repair Or Cover Up Scratched Laminate Floor?
Less strong woods are still suitable for flooring. However, selecting a hardwood floor with a higher Janka rating is one way to ensure that your floors can withstand almost anything that life can throw at you.
With any engineered wood, a top layer is presented in the composition of the floor. What is even a top layer you may ask? Well, the top layer is a piece of solid wood in the chosen floor species and is placed on the multi-ply birch substrate. The top layer is also what you see when your plan is installed.
This top layer is also what is sanded during refinishing, a process that removes any wear and tear that a wooden floor may encounter during its decades of use.
By selecting a floor with a thicker top layer, you are more likely to be able to remove deeply penetrating scratches during refinishing, instead of having to reinstall a new board. A thicker wear layer also allows for a number of refinishing processes (depending on the depth of the overall damage).
Ways To Prevent Scratches On Wood Floors
Like a chameleon that blends into its surroundings, textured wood flooring does the same for scratches and scuffs. One moment they are there and the next they are completely camouflaged.
Hardwood floors often come in three textures – Distressed, Wire-Brushed, and Smooth. In addition, some textured floors are more or less textured than others, ensuring that there is a floor for everyone’s preference.
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