Have you ever fell in love with a house, but saw that the hardwood floors were all scratched up? Or have you ever got a pet that scratched up those beautiful floors? You may have thought that it was time to give up the hardwood flooring and get carpet, but don’t change your mind so fast. You can repair your own hardwood flooring, so you can keep the floors you love looking the way you want them. Follow these 7 steps to ensure that your hardware floors always look their best.
- Step 1: The first step to fixing any problem is assessing the damage. Light scratches in hardwood flooring with require a different repair approach than deep scratches.
- Step 2: If you see that you have a light scratch, gently rub fine steel wool over the scratch. Make sure to rub the steel wool along the grain of the wood or you could have more scratches to repair.
- Step 3: For those deeper scratches, use lightweight sandpaper on the scratch. Again make sure to sand along the grain of the wood or you will end up causing more damage than good.
- Step 4: Rub mineral spirits over the sanded area. Rubbing mineral spirits over the area will help to smooth it out and pick up the fine dust that came from the sanding.
- Step 5: Fill the scratch with premixed wood filler. Use a plastic putty knife to fill the scratch with wood filler that matches the color of the floor. Let the filler dry thoroughly. Be sure to use a plastic putty knife for the filler so you won’t create any new scratches.
- Step 6: Take the sandpaper to the filler and then wipe up all of the dust. Once the filler has dried, use the lightweight sandpaper (180 grit). Be sure to only sand the excess filler.
- Step 7: Seal the sanded area. You will want to refinish the board with varnish, polyurethane, or a similar product to match the rest of your floor. Caution: Don’t use a foam roller or a brush to apply the polyurethane or you will end up with air bubbles in the finish. Instead, choose a lambswool applicator or a natural bristle brush.