How to Remove Scratches From a Hardwood Floor

With proper care, your hardwood floor may survive for decades. Some antique buildings still contain their original hardwood flooring. Unfortunately, even if you keep your hardwood floor well protected with sealant, scratches can still occur. Whether they are caused by pets, furniture or accidents, scratches can make your floor look shabby and make it vulnerable to further damage. However, you can use several methods to remove the scratches from your hardwood floor.

Instructions

Sanding

1. Use a sheet of high-grit sandpaper to gently buff the scratches in your floor. You may begin with a 300-grit.

2. Progress to higher grit sandpaper as the scratches get smaller. Always buff in a feathering pattern so as not to leave obvious buff marks on your hardwood floor.

3. Apply wood polish to the floor after the scratches are gone. Reseal the area if necessary.

Filling

1. Purchase a wax fill stick from a hardware store in the same shade as your hardwood floor.

2. Trace the scratches in your floor with the fill stick. The wax in the fill stick will slide into the scratches, making them almost invisible to the naked eye.

3. Wipe away the wax residue on the surrounding flooring with a clean, dry cloth.

Swelling

1. Apply a few drops of water to the scratches if they have left small dents in your wood. If the scratches are small enough, the water will cause the surrounding wood to swell, thus filling up the scratches.

2. Hold a hot iron directly above the scratches in the hardwood floor to facilitate swelling.

3. Continue to apply water and heat until the scratches disappear. Wipe the area down with polish to further reduce the appearance of scratching.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not apply wax to your hardwood floor if it has a polyurethane finish. This may result in you being unable to refinish the floor in the future.

• Do not attempt to fill small scratches with wood stain. Even if you use the same shade of wood stain that is currently on your floor, it will naturally penetrate deeper into a scratched area and may dry into a different shade, making the scratches more noticeable. This will not happen with a wax fill stick.

References

• Don Vandervort's Home Tips: Removing Wood Floor Scratches and Dents

Resources

• Pioneer Thinking: How to Care for Solid Hardwood Floors