How to Get Scratches out of a Wood Floor

Scratch-free wood floors stay cleaner.

Wood floors enhance the appearance of your home. When cared for properly, hardwood floors last a long time and maintain a beautiful appearance. Scratches in your wood floors are difficult to avoid. They often are the result of furniture or improper cleaning tools. Left unattended, scratches become filled with dirt and grime and detract from the clean look of your floors. Getting scratches out of the floor improves the look and condition of your wood floors.

Things You'll Need

• Floor finish
• Small paintbrush
• 100-grit sandpaper
• Broom
• Dustpan
• Clean cloths
• Mineral spirits
• Wood floor protective coating
• Sponge-tipped paintbrush

Instructions

1. 

   A thin artist's paintbrush works well for filling in scratches.

   Fill in small surface scratches that don't go down into the bare wood by applying multiple coats of floor finish with a small paintbrush. Allow the finish to dry in between coats, then add more coats until the scratch is filled.

2. 

   Sandpaper prepares the floor for filling in scratches.

   Fix deeper scratches by applying a protective floor coating that fills in the deep grooves. Prepare your wood floor by sanding it with 100-grit sandpaper so the floor coating has a rough texture to adhere to.

3. 

   Sweep up dust to avoid getting it mixed in with the fresh floor coating.

   Sweep up the dust from sanding using a broom and dustpan.

4. Dampen a clean lint-free cloth with mineral spirits, and wipe the surface of the wood floor to remove any remaining dust as well as old floor coating finish. Change to a clean cloth as needed, and continue to wipe down the surface of the floor.

5. Allow the mineral spirits to dry completely. Apply a fresh floor coating, following the package directions. Use a sponge-tipped paintbrush to apply the protective coating in the direction of the wood grain. Pay extra attention to scratched areas to make sure the coating soaks into the grooves to fill the scratches.

Tips & Warnings

• Place protective padding on the bottom of furniture to avoid scratches.

• Use areas rugs in high-traffic areas so grime on the bottom of shoes can't scratch the floor.

• Wood floors in living areas should be re-coated every five years or so to protect the surface. Wood flooring in kitchens might need this every two years.

References

• Wood Floor Doctor; Learn the Best Methods to Hardwood Floor Cleaning: Floors Get Scratched; February 2011
• Housekeeping Channel; Tips for Wood Flooring and Hard Surface Flooring