How To Repair Scratched Hardwood Floors

Do you have scratches on your hardwood floor? Are you looking for quick fixes that aren't very hard to execute? You've come to the right guide.

Fixing a scratch on your hardwood flooring tin can be as like shooting fish in a barrel as coloring it, depending on the depth of the scratch. There are many different possible causes for the scratch, but all scratches can be fixed with the same diverseness of methods.

Jump To: Repair Pocket-size Scratches | Repair Deep Scratches | Readymade Products | Prevent Scratches

Repair Scratches on The Hardwood Floors

We bring you ways to fix scratches on your hardwood floor, from easy homemade DIY tricks to professional person products.

Hither'south a quick table of all the methods with the timing and cost required, including difficulty. The detailed procedure is described below.

For Minor Scratches

These tricks can be done at home with easily accessible items; you probably have the required materials already.

Rubbing Walnuts

Yes, a walnut. Walnuts can help fix the small scratch that you take on your hardwood floor. It is an like shooting fish in a barrel and quick method to fix scratches, though many may not believe it. Here'southward how you can use a walnut to ready scratches;

Walnut kernels take about 60% of the oil quantity in them. This oil will end up soaking into the wood to heal the small scratch.

Lightly rub the walnut on the scratched surface area. The walnut volition reduce every bit the grains and the natural oil in it volition be removed onto the scratches and heal. This volition have you lot around thirty seconds to a minute and y'all will come across the results instantly.

The oil nowadays in the walnut volition soak onto the scratched parts to camouflage them.

Wipe down the forest with a soft cloth once you are washed rubbing the walnut on the flooring. This will wipe out actress oil on the surface with no unsightly scratches.

The scratch on your hardwood flooring should take disappeared with satisfactory results.

Rubbing Olive Oil with Vinegar

You can fix a small scratch on your hardwood floors with this boosted method. This is like to using walnut on the flooring, the only divergence is that the olive oil will seep into the wood to heal the scratch instead of almond natural oil.

This method of removing scratches works improve than rubbing walnut onto the scratch as it is much easier to utilize and yous probably already accept olive oil and vinegar at hand.

The directions are very unproblematic and straight-forward;

Mix ½ loving cup of olive oil with ½ cup of vinegar
Soak it into a rug and rub it onto the scratched surface
Y'all will come across the results instantly.

Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise contains vegetable oil and as we already know, oils repair the flooring by seeping into the wood. This method can besides exist used to polish your floor if your finish has turned cloudy.

Similar to the olive oil with vinegar method, the directions are elementary and direct-forrad;

Spread some vegetable oil rich mayonnaise onto the scratched surface
Make sure it is spread evenly
Permit the mayonnaise remainder on the flooring for several hours or overnight for most results
Wipe it off with a soft cloth to see the satisfactory results.

While mayonnaise tin can help ready scratches or polish the hardwood, remember that information technology is non a substitute for cleaning solutions.

Buffing with A Floor Cleaner or Paste

You tin can vitrify (shine) the scratched expanse with a floor cleaner that contains mineral oil and pumice (these are available in powder form at any hardware or paint store) or you can create the paste yourself by mixing them with water.

For this method, yous should use extra-fine grade steel wool for maximum efficiency.

Soak the flooring cleaner or paste onto the extra-fine grade steel wool
Rub it into the scratched surface of the wood
Wipe information technology off with a dry cloth and buff it.

Stain Pen

A stain pen is a pen used on wood floors or surfaces to embrace scratches and blemishes. Information technology perfectly blends with the woods surface.

The stain pen is to be used as a normal mark, apply it to draw on the scratches on the wood and information technology will look like new. Minwax stain pens are the best stain pens on the market. You tin can find it with 8 types of shades. Moreover, the drying time is much lesser than its counterparts.

Other good brands are,

Boxgear Touch-upwardly Pen
Varathane Stain Marker
Rejuvenate Wood Markers

Sometimes the shade you use might exist darker than the woods surface. hence, instead of hiding the scratch, you may end up revealing it more. In such cases, buff the stain with a damp cloth till it lightens and blends with the surface'south color.

Stain pens are like shooting fish in a barrel to utilize, they instantly dry out on application and are a quick way to hibernate whatever scratches or blemishes.

Here'southward a link to a stride-by-step guide for applying stain pen on the wood surface perfectly.

Repairing Deep Scratches

The quick tricks to fix your light and minimal scratches won't work if you have a deep scratch on your flooring. These sorts of scratches are also called gouges as a function of the wood appears to be gouged out.

Repairing gouged wood or securely scratched forest surfaces is done with the employ of different products, though the applications of using them may be the same. There is some term knowledge to exist learned earlier you get into piece of work on deep scratches.

Sanding refers to rubbing abroad at the expanse around the scratch to brand the scratched surface disappear. This is similar to slicing away the muddy function on an eraser.

The term sanding or sand is also used when you use sandpaper on repairing products, this is normally done so the repairing product on the forest stays on the same level and does non have bumps or inconsistencies.

Using Wood Fillers to Set up Deep Scratches

Woods filler is a substance that tin can be used to fix hardwood surfaces. It'muddy-type is substance and can be applied like a paste on the forest to fill deep scratches or gouges.

Using a wood filler requires sanding, both earlier and after the application of wood filler.

Firstly, sand and clean the surface that needs repairing. Apply fine-dust sandpaper to sand the surface that needs repairing. In one case the sanding is done, clean the surface with a dry cloth.

Then, take a scoop of wood filler and apply information technology in the gouge or deep scratch. Use a putty knife or a apartment object to spread it evenly across the damaged area. Exist sure to remove all the excess filler with the use of a apartment object or the same putty knife.

Let the wood filler dry. The wood fillers tin can take anywhere between xv minutes to 6 hours to dry depending on the depth of the damaged surface, since you are just fixing deep scratches, waiting a minimum of one-half an hr should do the trick.

Next, apply fine-dust sandpaper to sand the filler surface area to match information technology to the level of the surrounding area. This should ensure that the filled surface area is not bumpy or higher than the average level of the wood.

Finally, end the wood filler. The goal of using a wood filler is to make the repairs unnoticeable. Most forest fillers are receptive to new stains or paint. Use a forest stain or a stain pen on the wood filler to make it match the rest of the wood.

Here are some alternatives to using a forest filler;

Melted Wax

Heating upwards some wax of the same wood color and applying information technology to the gouged or deep scratched forest volition fill the area like a forest filler. This should be applied carefully as melted wax cannot exist sanded.

You can also rut a crayon instead of wax to attain the same consequence.

Forest Putty

Wood putty is similar to woods filler, only it cannot exist sanded or stained/painted. Even so, Forest putty is ideal for whatsoever surroundings whereas wood fillers are good for the indoor environment.

However, the wood putty has a bigger drying time than wood filler.

Using Specialized Care Products on Scratches

At that place are products bachelor on the market place that are used specifically for repairing scratches. Some products are as well made to cover the scratches on the wood surface.

Minwax Hardwood Flooring Reviver

Minwax Hardwood Flooring Reviver is a product that brings the beauty of your hardwood floor back to life. This product hides the scratches and needs no sanding before or after awarding.

Information technology is stronger than shine and also gives your scratched/damaged floor a protective surface after healing it.

To use the Minwax hardwood flooring reviver;

Prepare the expanse

Properly clean the scratched area that needs repairing. The reviver is a paste that you volition have to apply on the floor, and so make certain at that place is no dirt between the reviver and the floor.

Squirt a small-scale dot on the scratched expanse

Afterwards squirting a small-scale dot on the scratched area, use a flat object like a putty knife to spread it evenly across the scratched area. This will fill the damaged woods with the reviver

Let information technology dry

It will have approximately 2 hours for the coating to dry out on the scratched surface.

Upon drying, you'll see a substantial improvement in the scratched area. The polish will look luster and have protective qualities so no more scratches will occur on that spot in the near future.

Scratch Embrace

You can notice scratch covers at a hardware or home maintenance store. These covers get on the scratches of the flooring to comprehend it. They will keep the same stop on your wood and comprehend the damaged/scratched surface.

The awarding of scratch covers is generally mentioned in the manufactured directions;

Soak the scratch encompass onto a clean soft cloth
Wipe the scratched or damaged expanse with the cloth
Utilize a dry clean cloth to wipe the surface area till it becomes lustrous

We know how to repair scratches now, only how do we prevent them from happening? Aside from using the flooring reviver by Minwax , the other methods exercise not provide protection.

How to Prevent Scratches

Some quick tips and applications of products to keep your hardwood floors rubber from time to come scratches and impairment.

Welcome Mats at the Entrance

Clay and grit are brought in through the footwear. They are like sandpaper to your hardwood floor; always be sure to use a welcome mat or a rug in loftier-traffic areas.

Vacuum Regularly

A brush zipper on a hardwood flooring is ideal for cleaning. Cleaning hardwood floors with a brush attachment is ideal. Vacuuming the hardwood floor regularly will prevent dust and debris from scratching the wood flooring or beingness lodged at that place, causing impairment.

Carpeting Pads

Use whatsoever carpet pad to get with rugs on your floors. Exist certain to cull 100% non-solvent-based waffle-blazon rubber or a natural cobweb similar wool or jute.

Area Rugs

Using expanse rugs in the kitchen at high-spill locations can go along your wooden floor safe from spills and farther damage. Cotton volition be a expert fabric as information technology is easy to make clean. Areas such as refrigerators, stoves, and sinks should have an area carpeting. These will forbid scratches if any object were to autumn.

Pet Rugs

Pets volition need a rug for drool and other wet coats. Be sure to trim your pet'south nails regularly to avoid whatever scratches.

Piece of furniture wheels

Older article of furniture that has furniture wheels can scratch your hardwood floors. Use casters encased with a polyurethane coat to prevent scratches.

Aside from these tips to keep your flooring safety from scratching, there are some measures you tin take to avert future damage.

Protective Sealing of The Flooring

Installing a sealant over woods floors is generally necessary to keep them protected from impacts, humidity, and other harm. The sealant works by covering the wood surface with a protective blanket. At that place are very potent sealants available on the market that can protect the floor from scratches. Follow this tutorial from wikiHow for the sealer applying process.

Scratch-Resistant Cease

A scratch-resistant finish can prevent scratches on the flooring. The Rust-Oleum h2o-based polyurethane finish, due to its thickness and double coating, is ane of the strongest materials available on the market place that works well on wood. Below are three major types of wood finishes and their effectiveness.

Effectiveness	Best	Better	Expert
Type	Oil-Based Polyurethane Varnish and Catalyzed Lacquers	Shellac and Nitrocellulose Lacquer	Acrylic and Polyurethane Water-Based

Source: https://floortheory.com/fix-scratches-on-hardwood-floors/