How to Remove Scratch Marks
Scratch marks are all too common in homes. Although modern materials can take a lot of wear and tear, they are certainly not indestructible. If you have wood furniture, tables, or floors you are bound to have a scratch. If you have children you will probably have scratches on your walls and counters as well. There are ways to take care of these unsightly scratches without calling a professional. Most of the scratch removal techniques listed here are easy and simple. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Steel wool pad Shoe polish Peanuts Soap Sponge Floor wax Cotton swab Paint
Instructions
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Look at the scratched material. Is it polyurethane coated wood or uncovered? If there isn't polyurethane covering, you can try to buff out the scratch with a steel wool pad. If the scratch is too deep go to the next step.
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Find a shoe polish that matches the color of your wood. Fortunately, there is a shoe polish color for almost any wood type. Just make sure to test a small area before you begin really applying a heavy coat. The polish helps to fill the gap and to dye the scratch the right color.
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Rub open peanuts on the scratches of polyurethane coated wood surfaces; this helps dye and seal the wood once more. You cannot buff out the mark because it will visually affect the surface much more.
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4
Scrub any scratches in linoleum clean with a sponge and a quality soap. Since there isn't much you can do to fix a linoleum scratch, the only thing you can do is cover it up the best you can. This will take a nice, thick covering of floor wax. The shiny coat detracts the eye from flaws.
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Use a tiny cotton swab to touch up any paint scratches. Whenever you paint your walls, make sure to save the left over paint cans and paint for touch-ups. If the scratch is major, you'll have to fill the gap with putty and repaint the entire wall. Most of the time, however, this is unnecessary.
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Tips & Warnings
If dents come along with scratches on wooden floors, put a small drop of water on the dent to try and make the wood swell back up.
Don't wax your wood floors if they are polyurethane coated.
