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How To Fix Scratches On Hardwood Floors – This article was co-authored by Mark Spelman. Mark Spelman is a General Contractor based in Austin, Texas. With over 30 years of construction experience, Mark specializes in the construction of interiors, project management and project estimation. He has been a construction professional since 1987.
There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
How To Fix Scratches On Hardwood Floors
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How Do You Repair Scratches Or Gouges In Hardwood Floors?
If you have hardwood floors, scratching is inevitable, even if you are careful. The majority of scratches are caused by moving furniture, pets, and chasing small rocks from outside. Hardwood floor restoration can be relatively easy, depending on the severity of the scratch. With a few simple steps, you can repair and hide nicks and scratches in your hardwood to get the longest life out of your floor.
This article was co-authored by Mark Spelman. Mark Spelman is a General Contractor based in Austin, Texas. With over 30 years of construction experience, Mark specializes in the construction of interiors, project management and project estimation. He has been a construction professional since 1987. This article has been viewed 851,662 times.
Before fixing scratches on hardwood floors, be sure to clean and rinse the scratched area. Then, to fix shallow or superficial scratches, apply a wood stain marker or a thin layer of sealant. You can also try rubbing wood wax over the scratches, then buffing off the wax and covering the area with stain or sealant. For deeper scratches or gouges, apply wood filler that closely matches the color of your floor. Give it a day to dry, then use fine-grit sandpaper to remove any excess filler before sealing the area. For more tips from our reviewer on how to fix scratches on hardwood floors, including how to clean the floors before you start, read on! Home Improvement Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for contractors and serious ers. It only takes a minute to sign up.
What is usually recommended to fix scratches1, dents or chips2 on wooden floors? Is there a special type of glue, caulk or epoxy out there?
Diy Way To Fix A Scratch In Hardwood Floors
Michael Karas’ answer is the standard way to refinish the floor to an “original” appearance if there is enough wood left. If deep scratches, dents and chips are not an option, or you are satisfied with “less than perfect”, a light sanding just to remove the old finish evenly and then refinishing may be adequate. After that, there are still some options, especially for dents and chips that light grinding does not help.
There is no real magic bandaid to fix the kind of damage you describe. If the floor is one of good quality solid wood, then the normal fix is to sand an entire room and then refinish the floor.
If the hardwood floor is one of the types of engineered materials as shown in the following image, the options are more limited. These can sometimes be cut but generally are limited to a single loop.
Almost any other type of fix is likely to look “patched”. If the damage is limited to a specific area of the floor on some of the boards, there are techniques where a craftsman can remove these boards and replace them with replacements or steal some existing boards from the back of a closet. But even a board replacement could end up looking “patched”.
How To Repair A Scratch In Wood Furniture
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree that Stack Exchange may store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. only for a 1,200 square meter home, according to HomeAdvisor. At such a steep price, every little scratch or scratch on the floor is bound to cause a little panic. It’s kind of hard to believe that we spend so much money on something that we just walk everywhere, but you have to admit: Nothing is quite as homey as a slightly squeaky, perfectly shiny, happily lived-in hardwood floor.
But there is a difference between normal wear and tear and something a little more dramatic. You may have children playing on the floor with toy cars, scratching a surface in their wake, or dogs running to greet you when you come home from work, leaving a hole in the wood next to the doormat. Maybe it’s the original wood that came with your new-to-you home, or maybe you splurged on a nice finish when building your dream home. Either way, the sheer stress of the simplest scratch in your wood floor is the same.
Before you reluctantly dip into your emergency fund to refinish your entire floor, we’ve put together a list of budget-friendly ways to fix that giant scratch in your hardwood floor. In the end, it looks like nothing happened.
We have some 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.
How Can I Keep My Furniture From Damaging My Hardwood Floors?
Try making a solution of equal parts olive oil and apple cider vinegar, per Family Handyman. Dab it on the scratch, and let it sit; check back after a day, and wipe away the mixture. The scratch should now be imperceptible. Note that this option works best for shallower scratches on new floors with a more recent finish.
No apple cider vinegar in the cabinet? BobVila.com recommends using a combination of baking soda and olive oil. Just let it sit on the scratch for a few minutes, and then buff it into the wood. If your floors were not finished or were recently sanded when they were scratched, choose coconut oil instead. Either option should leave your floors looking scratch-free and with an added shine to boot.
For flat 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 even tinted options for dark floors, so everything looks seamless and good as new.
All you have to do is let it dry, and then rub it into the floor so that the scratch becomes unrecognizable. 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).
When Is It Time To Refinish Your Hardwood Floors? — Hardwood Floor Refinishing Services In Chicago
You can grab 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 it’s enough to tackle any and all future scratches that pop up—without breaking the bank.
Blending pencils, pens or markers work like paste wax, but they can be a cheaper and more user-friendly option for scratch repair. It all depends on what is more suitable for your specific type of floor and finish. Polished Habitat said Minwax stain markers have been 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 between shades of stain with a pencil or marker, allowing you to precisely match the grain and your floor. Polished Habitat used a darker marker for some spots and a lighter one for others, which elevated this DIY fix into professional-looking territory.
With a pen, pencil or marker that costs less than $15 on average, this solution is workable for any budget level, especially when you compare it to the cost of new or refinished floors.
Cost To Repair Hardwood Flooring
If you’re in a hurry to remove a small scratch from older hardwood floors, you don’t necessarily have to jump to the most expensive option and completely restore a small section. You might even have luck with the easiest hack of all that could be in your kitchen pantry right now: walnuts.
BobVila.com explains that, because walnuts “contain excellent natural emollients and brown dyes,” they are a little-known solution for removing scuffs and scratches in your hardwood floors. Start by warming the walnut oil with your fingers, then slowly work it into 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 buff it with a soft cloth or cloth. If you’re feeling particularly lazy, Wide Open Country also notes that you can open the walnut 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 hardwood floor, you may need to look into refinishing. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean cutting everything down and starting over –
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