How to Remove Deep Scratches and Stains From Hardwood Floors

Get your wood floors back into peak condition by removing stains and scratches.

Wood flooring can provide a touch of elegance to any room. Though your floor's natural beauty can be striking at first, if your wood flooring becomes stained or scratched, the blemish can become an unfortunate focal point. Though stains and scratches can be difficult to get rid of, the gain is well worth the effort, and you can look forward to your floors shining again.

Things You'll Need

• Wood cleaner
• Wood polish
• Wax repair stick
• Mop
• Broom
• Rag
• Steel wool
• Vinegar
• Floor sealant

Instructions

1. Clean the wood flooring thoroughly. Sweep with a broom to get rid of all particulates and dust and then spray some wood cleaner on the floor. Wait several minutes and then mop it up. This will get rid of most surface stains and will also reveal the depth of any scratches as well as the magnitude of any stains.

2. Make a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water and spray it on the stained area. Then gently rub the area with steel wool. Take great care not to rub too hard, as you will end up making any preexisting scratches worse.

3. Mop up the remaining vinegar with a rag and then rub scratches with a hardwood repair wax stick. Hardwood repair sticks can be purchased at hardware and flooring stores and should be purchased specifically for the color and type of wood in your home.

4. Rub the wax repair stick in the scratch until the scratch begins to fade away. Once the scratch has been completely filled in, use the steel wool to smooth the wax out across the top of where the scratch used to be.

5. Seal your floor. In order to prevent future scratches, apply floor sealant to your hardwood floor (after the wax has set) and then use a standard mop to apply it. Let the sealant set for the amount of time described in the product instructions.

References

• National Wood Flooring Association: Renewals and Repair
• Professor's House: Hardwood Floor Stain Removal