If you have wood flooring, then you may have come across a scratch or two. Modern materials such as solid wood and engineered wood flooring are far more durable and resilient to the rigours of daily life, however accidents do happen.
If you have discovered a scratch in your beautifully finished wood floor, then you may be wondering how to fix it without calling in a costly repair man. At Direct Wood flooring, we are here to help.
We have created this step-by-step guide to help you fix the most common forms of scratches, so you can get your floor back to the beautiful finish you are used to, easily and with the minimum amount of hassle.
Wood Flooring Superficial Scratches
Superficial scratches are those ones that have only penetrated the protective coating or finish of your wood floor. As this top surface is your initial defence against scratches, these superficial scratches are easily fixed.
You will need: Water, floor cleaner, soft cloths and either wood wax or matching protective coating.
- Clean the scratch and immediate area. Use a soft cloth and some floor cleaner to make sure the area is free of dust, dirt, and debris.
- Wipe clean. Use another soft cloth and some water to wipe off any excess floor cleaner and wait until it is completely dry.
- Apply coating. Using either a wood wax stick or your preferred protective coating, gently apply to the scratch, making sure it has been completely filled.
- Buff the area. Once the coating has dried, gently buff the area with a clean, soft cloth. This will smooth out the replacement coating and restore shine.
Minor Scratches On Wood Floors
Minor scratches are scrapes or scores that have penetrated through the protective surface layer and damaged the wood underneath. Like with superficial scratches though, don’t panic, they can be repaired relatively easily with a little bit of care.
You will need: Water, floor cleaner, soft cloths, steel wool, fine grade sandpaper and wood wax repair sticks.
- Clean the scratch and immediate area. Use a soft cloth and some floor cleaner to make sure the area is free of dust, dirt, and debris.
- Wipe clean. Use another soft cloth and some water to wipe off any excess floor cleaner and wait until it is completely dry.
- Use your steel wool. Gently rub the steel wool over the scratch, remember to only ever rub WITH the grain of the wood, not against.
- Blend with sandpaper. Use the sandpaper to buff the edges of the scratch and the immediate area around it, so it will blend in with the rest of the floor.
- Apply wax. Gently apply the wax stick to the area and make sure the scratch is covered. Leave for ten minutes.
- Buff the area. Use a soft cloth to gently buff the area. If necessary, add a layer of new protective coating and buff out.
Major Scratches On Wood Floors
Major scratches are classed as gouges that go deep into the wood plank. These can be unsightly and ruin the appearance of a floor. Unfortunately, this may result in a job for the professionals, as it is likely to need to be re-sanded and refinished. Make sure you let them know if you have real wood or an engineered wood flooring with a wood finish, as in the latter case, engineered wood can only be sanded once.
Scratches on a polyurethane floor
If you have a scratch on your polyurethane coated floor, then the process for repair is a little different.
You will need: Scouring pad, soft cloth, mineral spirits, polyurethane. For deeper scratches you will need a wood putty and sandpaper.
- Lightly moisten your scouring pad with mineral spirits. Once your pad is moist, gently rub over the scratched area.
- Wipe clean. Wipe off any excess with a clean cloth and allow to dry.
- If it is a deep scratch, apply a wood putty. If superficial, go to step 5. Add your wood putty into the scratch or gouge and let harden.
- Sand smooth. Sand to a smooth finish.
- Apply a fresh coat of polyurethane.
Under no circumstances should you ever use a wax or wax coating to fix a polyurethane floor.
Help from Direct Wood Flooring
If you have a scratch in your wood floor, then here at Direct Wood Flooring we have everything you need to get your floor looking perfect again.
We have a range of floor repair kits for a range of colours, which makes it even easier for you to fix any scratches or blemishes. Simple, yet effective, they can repair scratches and cracks almost invisibly and can even be used on laminate flooring.
We also sell complete clean and revive wood flooring kits to help keep your wood floor looking at its best, no matter what daily life may throw at it.
