How To Repair Scratches In Hardwood Flooring
9 Tips for Removing Scratches from Wood Floors
Check out these tried-and-true methods for banishing marks, gouges, and scuffs to revive the dazzler of forest floors.
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Woods floors bring beauty and value to a home—every bit long as they are well-maintained. Natural forest is at abiding risk of surface wear, h2o marks, and deeper impairment. Prevention, of course, is central: Utilise area rugs and soft protective pads to move piece of furniture, remove shoes as much as possible, and proceed pet nails trimmed.
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Your floor'due south finish works to protect it from everyday wear and tear, just it's important to know what kind of stop you've got in club to maintain it. Consider, for example, a wood floor installed prior to 1970, which was probably finished with varnish or shellac. You can add together luster to such a stop with paste or liquid wax, or oil. If your older finish is noticeably scratched, it can be stripped or sanded down, then refinished with a polyurethane-based product—a highly durable finish, resistant to abrasion and easy to clean—merely be sure to apply only a water-based silicone polish on polyurethane-finished floors.
RELATED: xi Tried-and-True Means to Care for Hardwood Floors
When widespread wearable and tear is visible, the time- and labor-intensive process of total floor refinishing may be necessary, and in most cases, that's a job all-time left to the pros. Fortunately, you lot can minimize or fifty-fifty completely eradicate less serious marks and discoloration with the scratch repair tips below—and restore your wood floors to their former glory.
1. Make clean hardwood floors gently.
Lackluster forest tin magnify the appearance of scratches and worn areas—not to mention that dirt particles basis into hardwood floors can lead to worse scratches—and so your first line of action should be thorough just gentle cleaning. Avoid brooms or abrasive scrub pads, and never soak a floor with water or liquid cleaner. Instead, employ a soft mop or vacuum (with the appropriate attachment) to remove grit, hair, and surface droppings. To clean, add 2 to four drops of liquid soap to a quart of water, mix in a spray bottle, and mist your polyurethane-finished floor, then distribute the solution with a dry microfiber mop. Next, lightly spray with fresh water and buff with a soft, dry cloth. Commercial non-toxic forest cleaners safe for polyurethane-finished floors are too available. Your best bet is a water-based product with a biodegradable cleaning agent, such every bit Begley's (sold at big-box abode comeback stores and Amazon).
ii. Sand out the scratches in the wood flooring.
A little elbow grease can bring life dorsum to woods floors. A fine-grained sandpaper is all you need to buff out harm. Beginning, sand the floor in the management of the grain. You'll need to reapply stain that you've buffed away in the process, so choose a hidden area (under the bed, in a closet) to patch-exam a woods stain that matches your floor color. Subsequently you find the right stain, patch test a urethane finish.
A water-based urethane (view example on Amazon) dries apace, with a clear, shiny finish ideal for newer floors—just it may create too much contrast if floors take darkened with age.
Oil-based urethanes (view case on Amazon) are strong-smelling, simply they dry out with a yellow tinge that darkens over fourth dimension, which may better suit the colour of an older floor. Make sure your sanded area is polish and thoroughly clean earlier you stain and end.
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3. Rub walnuts over scratches in the wood to camoflage them.
Walnuts comprise excellent natural emollients and brownish dyes that both repair and enhance the look of worn, scratched wood. Warm up the oil in the nut with your fingers, so rub into worn areas of the floor using small round motions. Let the oil sit down for a few minutes, and so buff with a soft fabric. Coconut oil can too minimize scratch marks on unfinished or freshly sanded floors. Utilise a thin coat of kokosnoot oil with a castor or sponge, let it dwell for five minutes, then buff with a soft cloth for richer-looking wood.
iv. Make an effective refresher from pantry ingredients.
A combo of blistering soda and olive oil tin help reduce and remove scratches from woods. Vacuum your flooring thoroughly, then apply baking soda moistened with several drops of olive oil to marred areas. Look five minutes, then buff in gently, using a soft sponge. Clean thoroughly with a damp material and dry with a towel.
five. Consider woods floor products designed for scratch repair.
Good for scratch repair on both wood and laminate floors, Scratch Away ($10.99 for 8 ounces, available from Lumber Liquidators) cleans, polishes, and reduces the appearance of scratch marks caused by dirt, shoes, pets, and article of furniture scrapes. Another well-reviewed production is Old English Scratch Comprehend ($4.82 for viii ounces, available on Amazon), available in both low-cal and dark wood tones. This nourishing oil both protects and hides unsightly scuff marks. All you demand is a soft cloth to use on clean wood surfaces.
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6. Color in scratches with a wood stain.
Minimize the advent of deep scratches with a wood stain, which comes in oil-based, water-based, gel, and combination varieties. Oil-based stains dry slowly and can be difficult to work with simply provide the richest, longest-lasting color. H2o-based stains are bachelor in many shades, and make for easy application and clean upward. Combination stains are designed for polyurethane finishes, while gels don't penetrate and so tin can be used on a diverseness of materials, including previously painted woods.
Choose the right stain formula for your wood's finish, and make full in the scratch completely with the liquid color. Use a Q-tip to remove any backlog stain and let dry. Yous can also find stain markers and blending pencils, though you may accept to play with colour combinations to detect the perfect match for your floor. Apply to the scratch according to package directions, wipe abroad any excess, and allow to dry thoroughly.
seven. Shine and revive with a specialized care production.
Minwax Hardwood Floor Reviver ($24.97 for 32 ounces, available on Amazon) tin can help restore beauty and luster to hardwood floors without sanding or buffing. Make clean the surface of dust and debris, and so apply a single coat with a clean paint pad (like this product) and let dry. Available in both loftier- and depression-gloss—cull the sheen that'south right for you—and formulated to concluding three to six months.
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eight. Strip off the finish and start afresh.
If wood floors are in pretty deplorable shape, covered by layers of polyurethane, wax, or fifty-fifty paint, yous tin strip them to reveal their unfinished dazzler. Choose a liquid stripping amanuensis, such as depression-fume 3M's Safest Stripper ($14.02 for 32 ounces, bachelor on Amazon). Follow product instructions advisedly to utilise, then use fine-course steel wool, rubbing in the management of the grain, to remove whatsoever excess stripper. If you intend to strip only a minor department of your flooring, make certain you've also patch tested a matching stain and polyurethane coating to apply after the stripping procedure is complete.
9. Patch and mend deeper scratches in forest floors.
For deeper gouges in your wood, endeavor a product like Bondo ($18.15 for 1 ounce on Amazon)—a forest filler that can be sanded and stained, or painted. You can too use a pre-colored latex forest filler like DAP Plastic Wood ($9.48 for 32 ounces from DAP). Fillers come in a multifariousness of colors and may need to be blended to friction match your floor exactly. This option is all-time for small, deep holes that can so exist filled, sanded, stained, and finished, leaving your floor flawless once more than.
Need assist with hardwood flooring?
Find licensed floor experts in your area and get free, no-commitment estimates for your project.
Source: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/wood-floor-scratch-repair/
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