If your hardwood floors have seen better days, here is everything you need to know about how to fix scratches and prevent them from happening again in the future.
Not all scratches affect hardwood floors the same, with some being much easier to fix than others. Before you can figure out how to fix a scratch on your hardwood floor, you’ll need to determine what type of scratch you are dealing with.
The main issue you need to worry about here is the depth of the scratch. In many cases, surface-level scuffs and scratches only affect the top finish layer of the hardwood, making them much easier to repair. The deeper the scratch gets, the more difficult it will be to fix.
Though light scratches may leave the hardwood almost completely intact, deep floor scratches from furniture or hard drops can remove much larger chunks of wood, leaving behind a rough, unsightly texture and a splinter hazard. In extreme cases, you may not even be able to get rid of the scratch without replacing the hardwood with new materials.
Once you identify the severity of the scratch, you can start thinking about fixing it. Here are some expert tips about how to fix just about any type of scratch you may have on your hardwood floors.
Minor scuffs and surface marks are easily the most common type of hardwood flooring damage.
Marks like these can come from almost any type of daily wear and tear, including dirt, shoes, and small debris dragging across the surface of the wood. Fortunately, though these types of scuffs are incredibly common, they are also the easiest to fix.
The first step here is to clean the hardwood floors and remove any dirt and debris to prevent any further scratches from developing during the process. Then simply use a dry cloth to buff out the surface mark.
Using a small amount of natural oil, like olive oil, or a combination of oil and vinegar, can help a lot here, but it isn’t always necessary. Just be sure that you buff along the grain to maintain the wood’s natural appearance and prevent any damage.
Light scratches are the ones that penetrate the top finish layer of the wood, but not the wood itself. Again, these types of scratches are incredibly common and only slightly harder to fix than scuffs and surface marks.
The easiest way to do this is by using a wood floor repair marker or a wax stick. These tools are designed to blend in with the color of the wood, masking any imperfections with ease. However, if you are using a wood repair marker, ensuring that you choose a marker that matches the color of your floor is essential. If you choose a marker that is too bright or dark, it may end up making the scratch even more noticeable, so you should always test the marker to see if it matches before starting any repairs.
Moderate scratches are imperfections that penetrate the finish and just barely reach into the wood below. These require a bit more effort to fix properly, but they are no less manageable for anyone who has at least some sort of confidence with their DIY skills.
To repair scratches like these, you’ll need to do some light sanding, but you don’t need to worry about investing in any fancy power sanding equipment. Just take some sandpaper and sand only the damaged area until the surface is completely smooth and the scratch is entirely removed. Then simply apply the same stain or finish that you have on the rest of your hardwood floors, and it will look like there was never even a scratch there to begin with.
Deeper scratches and gouges are by far the most challenging types of hardwood floor damage for homeowners to fix by themselves.
If you have deep scratches like these, it usually means that there are entire wood fibers missing, exposing the raw, untreated wood below.
If you’re wondering how to fix big scratches on your hardwood floors, you’ll first need to start by filling the crack with a wood filler that you can buy from most local hardware or flooring stores. Then sand the filler down so that it is perfectly level with the rest of the wood and reapply the finish to match the rest of your flooring.
Sealing is particularly important here and is often the hardest part of making these types of repairs. Even a tiny amount of moisture exposure can cause the scratch to resurface or become worse, so ensure that you apply the finish properly and that it has sufficient time to dry. Otherwise, you may end up having to completely replace the wood plank down the road.
You can use DIY methods to repair the vast majority of hardwood floor scratches, there are still situations where hiring a professional hardwood refinisher is the best choice.
For example, though one deep scratch may be easy enough to handle alone, floors with especially severe and widespread damage often require specialized tools and techniques that go far beyond a simple DIY job.
Professional floor care experts can also help you in several other ways. With a professional inspection, you can make sure that no damage goes unnoticed and that all the repairs blend seamlessly across the entire surface of the floor. In many cases of widespread scratching, professionals often offer a more cost-effective solution than investing all your time and money into repairing them yourself.
Whether or not you decide to seek outside help is completely up to you, but if you’re looking for a high-quality solution that looks brand-new and stands the test of time, calling the pros is the way to go.
The best way to deal with hardwood floor scratches is to prevent them from happening in the first place, and the good news is that there are also plenty of measures that you can take to do just that.
Routine cleaning is a great first step to protecting your hardwood floors. Most scratches come from dirt, dust, and debris that people in your home drag along the surface as they walk, so something as simple as daily sweeping and routine vacuuming or mopping can go a long way to preventing any future scratches.
Moving heavy furniture is another common source of scratches, but there is an easy solution to this as well. All you need to do is buy and install some felt furniture pads on the bottom of couches, chairs, and any other heavy furniture you have, and you’ll completely eliminate this scratch risk as well.
If you have pets, limiting floor scratches can get trickier, but it’s far from impossible. Keeping your animals’ nails trimmed is one of the best preventative measures you can take. The same goes for keeping your pets’ indoor play to a minimum; if they can get outside to get their exercise, your floors will be far better off.
Are you thinking about renovating your old hardwood flooring or looking for the high-quality flooring products you need to repair your flooring yourself? Give us a call at (610) 935-2226, or contact us on our website.
Our friendly team of local flooring experts is always here to answer your questions and will happily give you expert advice and tell you more about how we can help you breathe new life into your old hardwood flooring. We’ll even offer you a free estimate for our hardwood flooring refinishing services if you think your next flooring repair job needs a professional touch.
Don’t let a few scratches bring the rest of your home’s hardwood floors down. Contact My Dad’s Flooring America and make your old hardwood floors look like new.