How To Fix Scratches On Wood Floors
Naturally, the last thing you want to see on your beautiful wooden floor is any kind of mark. However, the reality is that, like accidents, scratches do happen, especially if you live in a busy household and perhaps have children and pets living with you, and even though modern versions including engineered and solid-wood flooring are highly resilient and typically shrug off the rigours of daily wear and tear.
So if you notice these blemishes on your wood flooring, don’t worry. There are things you can do yourself to deal with the issue, and you may not necessarily need to call in a floor specialist. Here are our guidelines on what to do if you want to know how to get scratches out of wood floor products.
As with anything else, it’s worth knowing your enemy! That way, you can take preventative action and avoid needing wood floor scratch repair in the first place. There are typically four key factors behind scratches on wood floor products, including:
Shoes and Heavy Foot Traffic
Foot traffic over a floor’s surface cause heavy wear and tear over time. High heels in particular can be quite damaging. Consider asking guests to remove stilettos in your home, and offer them slippers instead.
Pets
Animal claws can also be harmful to your wooden flooring – we’ve written previously about how to deal with this and offered some potential solutions.
Dirt and Dust
A rug is the obvious solution for high-traffic areas such as floors, and will keep your floor safe from harm for a lot longer.
Furniture
This can leave its unwelcome mark in the form of scratches and dents, especially in an area like the kitchen, where tables and chairs are often moved. One easy preventative measure is to use furniture pads and glides.
Superficial Marks
A superficial or surface mark literally just scrapes the surface. The damage won’t have reached the finish or protective coating of your wooden flooring. And the good news is that this type of blemish can be sorted out quickly and easily, with just a little bit of wood floor scratch repair knowhow.
Use floor cleaner and a soft cloth to free the area of grime and debris. Wipe with a fresh cloth and a little water, then wait until the area is no longer wet. Next apply a protective coating, ensuring the scratch is completely filled. When dry, buff with a soft, clean cloth.
Minor Scratches
With these, the scratch has penetrated the protective surface layer to affect the timber beneath. Again, there are things you can do yourself in the first instance. Follow the first two steps outlined above for the initial clean.
Next, rub steel wool over the scratch, taking care to work with the grain. Buff the edges of the scratch plus the surrounding area with sandpaper, so it blends in with the rest of the surface. Finally, apply wax and buff again.
Major Scratches
These make their presence felt deep into your timber. And they can be extremely unsightly. Unfortunately, if your floor has this problem, it could well be a job to hand over to the professionals, since your surface could require refinishing and sanding. Although they should ask, remember to tell your flooring specialist what type of wooden floor you have, particularly since you can only sand down engineered wood once.
Polyurethane Floor Scratches
Here, the process is a little different. (For example, you should never use wax or a wax coating.) Dampen a scouring pad with mineral spirits, and rub carefully over the scratched area, before wiping it clean. Apply wood putty to any deep scratches and sand to a smooth finish. If marks are superficial, ignore these two steps.
Finally, you’ll need a new application of polyurethane, whatever the type of scratch.
Talk to us
If you’d like further advice on how to remove scratches from wood floors, pop in to our Basingstoke store to discuss with our wood floor specialists. Check out our range of cleaning, repair and products available to buy online.
