Hardwood Floor Scratch Repair

Hardwood or Wood Floor Scratch Repair
It’s inevitable no matter how well you preserve your hardwood floor, it will sometimes suffer scratches and scuffs. Do not despair! Small scuffs and scratches can be repaired easily without calling a professional.

Floor scratches can occur as a result of dropped objects, pet nails, dragging furniture across the surface, and shoes. The preferred method of scratch removal is to minimize the chances of them happening in the first place. You can minimize hardwood floor damage by following these simple steps:

Stick on Furniture Pads

Remove shoes before walking on the hardwood floors. If you have pets keep their nails trimmed.Place rugs and mats in high traffic areas.Sweep hardwood floors on a regular basis.Wash and air out all area rugs that cover your hardwood floors.Attach protective foot pads underneath the legs of furniture.Stick on Furniture Pads

If the scratches in your flooring are more superficial and do not penetrate into the wood very far there are some easy things you can do to make them less noticeable.

First: Clean the area that is scratched. Vinegar and water (1/4 cup : 1 gallon) is an excellent, inexpensive way to clean the area. Use a towel or sponge dampened, (not dripping wet), with the vinegar and water solution to clean the area. Then allow the area to dry for 24 hours.

In the Second step you can try one of three different types of touch ups:

1) For more superficial scratches that do not need to be darkened a lot you can try either Watco Teak Oil or Old English Scratch Cover. Dampen a cloth towel with either of the two products, then dab a generous portion over the affected area and allow it to penetrate for approximately two minutes. Then, with a different clean towel wipe off any excess.

2) For more superficial scratches that need to be darkened you can try to use a Minwax Wood Finish Stain Marker or similar product to darken the area affected. And again with a different clean towel wipe off any excess.

3) For a deeper scratch you can try to use a Minwax Blend-fill Pencil or similar product to fill in the area. Then buff off any excess using a clean dry towel.

Deeper gouges or large affected areas in hardwood floors will most likely require refinishing by a professional. If you should decide you would like us to do the touch ups for you or you would like to have your floors refinished, please give us a call at: 904-814-6732