What is the best way to get scratches out of solid hardwood floors?

It’s a question that almost every owner of this popular floor covering has asked themselves at some point.

A variety of factors, like moving furniture, sultry stilettos, muddy soccer cleats, and more, can damage the surface of hardwood floors, making your entire home appear worn out and run-down in the process.

Still, one of the benefits of hardwood floors is that scratches can sometimes be fixed, and it’s a relatively simple process when compared to other flooring options such as vinyl or carpeting.

There are numerous methods for removing scratches from solid hardwood floors, including the use of pencils, a Brillo pad, and other interesting home hacks.

And we’re here to give you everything you need to know about them—get let’s started!

In this article, we’ll show you how to remove scratches from wood flooring.

How to Remove Scratches from Wood Flooring

Scratches on hardwood floors can quickly detract from its aesthetic appeal and elegance.

Depending on the severity of the scratch, sanding and refinishing may not be the only option available to you for removing it.

Here is a look at the many types of damage and how to deal with each of them.

Determine What Type of Finish is Currently on Your Floor

With all of the numerous types of floor finishes available, it’s crucial to know which one was used on your floor so that you can match the two surfaces together properly.

There are a number of alternatives available:

• Polyurethane with an oil base
• Polyurethane with a water-based base
• Coating with wax
• Varnish
• Stain
• Coating with aluminum oxide

Scratch Repair 101: How Deep is Your Scratch on Your Wooden Surface?

For example, if the King of Disco sang about fixing wooden floors, the lyrics might be like follows:

This is because the first thing you must determine when trying to restore a scratched wooden floor is how deep the scratches are.

But here’s the point…

If there is a scratch in the wood itself, or if there is merely a scratch in the wood finish, what is the cause?

And, if the scratch goes through the wood finish, how far does it penetrate into the wood?

It depends on whether we’re talking about a little scratch or a big gouge.

The depth of your scratches and the quantity of damage you have determines which repair process is ideal for you.

It’s always advisable to start with the simplest approaches and see how they work for you before moving on to more complicated ones.

As a result, we’ll start with minor scratches and work our way up to more serious problems.

Repairing Minor Scratches that Have Been Identified

A slight scratch is one that has reached the surface of the wood beneath the protective coating but has not penetrated the protective coating itself.

To repair a minor scratch, simply follow these steps:

1. Remove any debris from the surface. To remove any remaining material, use a high-quality wood cleaner.

2. Steel wool should be used on the scratch. Only sand the scratched area, and always sand with the grain of the wood to avoid damaging the surface.

Rubbing the mark across the grain will increase the size of the mark and make it more visible.

3. Scratch the surface using a buffing cloth. Steel wool can be used to buff away the scratch until it is completely gone.

4. Make the edges a little softer. Steel wool can be used to feather the edges of the scratch by gently rubbing it on the surface of the scrape.

Keep the amount of feathering to a bare minimum to prevent drawing attention to the location.

5. Make use of a wax stick. Cover the scratches with a wax stick and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before removing them.

6. Buff the affected area. Buff the area with a soft cloth to bring out the radiance of the surface.

7. Make use of paste wax. If your floors are not coated with glossy polyurethane, follow up with a paste wax after you have used the wax stick. The scratches will become even less obvious as a result of this.

After that, rub out the scratches for a second time if necessary.

Deep Scratches and Gouges Can Be Repaired

Deep scratches and gouges on a wood floor necessitate a great deal more effort and skill than minor scratches and gouges.

If you have a floor like this, it will require sanding, repair, and refinishing.

Follow these easy steps!

Tip 1: Do you have a lot of scratches? Repairing Scratches on Hardwood Floors Without The Use Of Sandpaper

You should sand down and refinish your floor if there are significant scratches across the surface.

The scratches can be removed with a thorough sanding, but be aware that this method is only effective on actual wood floors, not bamboo.

If you have an engineered wood floor with a real wood surface, make sure the real wood surface is at least 1mm thick; sanding usually removes at least this much wood from the surface, so a thicker layer is required for a thorough sanding.

If you have an engineered wood floor with a real wood surface, make sure the real wood surface is at least 1mm thick; sanding usually removes at least this much wood from the surface, so a thicker layer is required

Tip 2: Refinish the entire floor Surface.

If your entire floor is covered in scratches and gouges, this is a sensible decision.

The scratches can be removed by sanding the floor completely, but keep in mind that this will only work on actual wood floors.

When installing an engineered wood floor with a real wood surface, check to see if the wood surface has ever been sanded before.

These floors can only be sanded once or twice before the real wood is completely removed from the surface.

Unless you’re confident in your ability to complete this task on your own, it’s preferable to hire a professional.

Step 3: Refinishing a section of The Floor

1. Mineral spirits can be used to remove scratches from polyurethane coatings by moistening a scouring pad with the solvent.

2. The itch should be rubbed gently using the pad.

3. Allow it to dry before wiping it away.

4. Make use of colored wood putty to match the color of your floor.

5. With the help of a plastic putty knife, insert it into the scratch.

6. After allowing the putty to harden, smooth the surface with 150 grit sandpaper.

7. Apply a fresh coat of polyurethane to the affected area to restore it.

8. You should refinish your flooring if polyurethane was not used on them originally. Otherwise, utilize the same coating that is currently on them.

9. Blend.

10. Please keep in mind that you should not use wax sticks on polyurethane floors or apply any

type of wax coating to them.

Tip 3: How to Repair Scratched Wood: Use Wood Filler to fill up large gouges in the wood

The first step should be to use a wood filler to fill in the gaps between the scratches in your wood floor before applying stain and finish.

If the scratches in your wood floor are more like gouges, the second step should be to use a wood filler to fill in the gaps between the scratches.

Here’s our instruction on how to correctly apply wood filler to your projects.

Tip 4: Using Wood Markers to Remove Superficial Scratches on Hardwood Floors

A wood marker the same color as your hardwood floor will be required to remove superficial scratches from your hardwood flooring.

It is available at most hardware stores.

Once you’ve obtained it, proceed as follows:

Using a soft cloth soaked in water, gently clean the scratched area.

As a result, you will be able to remove the remaining dirt and soil.

Check the color of the marker in an inconspicuous spot to ensure that it is the correct shade.

The tip of the marker should be used to paint the scratch until it matches the color of the rest of the hardwood flooring.

Tip 5: Hand-toughening the corners is a good idea.

Roughen up the current surface along walls and in corners where the buffer won’t reach because of the rougher finish.

Keep in mind that the goal is just to scratch up the finish, not to wear it down—or worse yet—sand through it completely. On most occasions, three or four passes with the sanding screen are sufficient.

Wearing gloves will help to shield your hands from the abrasive surface of the screen.

Tip #6: Configure the Buffer

Place the buffer on top of the sanding screen to protect it.

It should be noted that the screen is not physically attached to the buffer, but rather remains in place by the weight of the computer.

Before you begin buffing, secure the buffer’s adjustable handle in its current position.

Tip 7: Sand down any imperfections in the wood to make it more durable.

It is possible that your flooring has ridges and other uneven patches if they have sustained significant damage.

The best course of action is to sand these down to make your floor more level and prevent future difficulties.

Listed below is the procedure for sanding down a floor. It is possible that you will need to rent a floor sander for serious wood floor scratch repair.

Tip 8: How to Repair Scratched Wood: Patch or replace floorboards that have been badly damaged.

The damage to your floor may be so serious that you will be required to completely replace the damaged floorboard(s).

If you are unable to locate matching floorboards, you can at the very least patch the damaged section.

Our Final Thoughts

Scratches can easily detract from the beauty of a well-maintained hardwood floor.

There are many types of scratches, and each one requires a different type of repair.

But, be assured, if you follow the instructions outlined above, everything will be back to normal again!

Frequently Ask Questions