Maintaining a wood floor is critical to preserving its beauty and value. Preventing damage to wood is tough because it is constantly vulnerable to wear, water marks, and deeper damage. It is crucial to prevent them: Use rugs and soft protective pads to move furniture, keep pet nails short, and remove shoes as much as possible. Your floor’s finish may be protected by wear and tear but it’s important to know what kind of finish your floor has in order to maintain it.
In most cases, when significant wear and tear is present, you should consider having your entire floor refinished, which is a time- and labour-intensive process best left for the professionals. Fortunately, you can reduce or even remove minor scratches and discolouration with the suggestions provided below, therefore restoring your wood floors to their original condition.
Understand the Finish of the Floor
Many types of wood floor finishes are used for protecting floors against scratches, marks, cracks, stains, and general wear & tear. These include oil-based finishes, water-based finishes and clear coatings. Depending on the type of finish applied, there could be several steps involved in repairing a damaged floor.
Since most people don’t know what type of finish their floor is coated with, they usually end up calling a professional to fix the problem. But, why wait till things go wrong to call in help? Be sure to find out what kind of material your wood floor is made of before attempting to fix scratches.
Take care when cleaning hardwood floors
Lacklustre wood can magnify even superficial scratches and wear marks, making it look like there’s much more damage than actually exists. So don’t panic if you see some scuffs and dings on your hardwood flooring; they’re just part of daily life. But if you want to keep those imperfections under control, start with a good cleaning.
Never use a broom or an abrasive scrub pad on your floors; rather, use a soft mop or vacuum (with the appropriate attachment) to brush or vacuum dust, hair, and surface debris away. To clean a polyurethane-finished floor, mix two to four drops of soap with a quart of water and spray the solution onto the floor, then wipe it down with a dry microfiber towel.
Afterwards, buff with a damp, mild cloth to clean away any residue. Non-toxic commercial wood cleaners for polyurethane-finished floors are available. A water-based chemical with a biodegradable cleaning agent is your best choice.
Sand out the scratches in the wood floor
It’s simple to polish wood floors back to life, provided you use the right sandpaper. Simply sand in the direction of the grain to buff out scratches.
It’s crucial to select a spot to test a wood stain that matches your floor colour (under the bed, in a wardrobe) in order to reapply any buffed-out stains. After you pick the appropriate stain, patch test a urethane finish.
A water-based urethane dries quickly, producing a shiny, clear finish that is ideal for freshly laid floors—however, if the floors have darkened with time, too much contrast might be produced.
Oil-based urethanes so smell strong, but they dry to a slightly yellow finish that darkens over time, which may be a good match for an aged floor. A sanded area should be smooth and thoroughly clean before being stained and finished.
Use walnuts to cover up the scratches
Excellent brown dyes and natural emollients are contained in walnuts, which repair and enhance the appearance of damaged, scratched wood.
Firstly, warm up the oil in the nuts with your fingers, and then use small circular motions to apply the oil to the surface of the wood. Let the oil sit for several minutes, then buff with your favourite cleaning cloth.
Coconut oil can also minimize scratch markings on newly finished floors. Simply apply a thin layer with a brush or sponge and let it dry for five minutes. Then buff with a soft cloth to give the wood a rich finish.
Use kitchen ingredients to repair your floor
While there are many different recipes for cleaning upholstery, countertops, floors, walls and more, we found one recipe that works especially well for refreshing wooden surfaces. This simple DIY home solution formula combines baking soda and olive oil to help reduce and remove scratches from your wood flooring.
Thoroughly, vacuum your floor and then dampen marred areas with a few drops of olive oil and baking soda. After five minutes, buff the area gently with a soft sponge. Clean the area thoroughly with a damp cloth and dry it with a towel.
Consider wood floor products designed for scratch repair
If you want to keep your hardwood flooring looking great, consider purchasing a product specifically designed for scratch repair. Wood flooring manufacturers offer several options for protecting your investment. These include speciality wax coating, oils, and even stain protectors.
You can purchase scratch repair products for laminate and hardwood floor that clean, polish and reduce the appearance of scratch marks made by shoes, dirt, pets and scraps from the furniture. You can buy scratch cover that is available in dark and light wood tones. The nourishing oil is used to protect and cover the ugly floor marks. You would just need to apply a thin coat of oil using a soft cloth on the clean wood surfaces.
Always read the instructions to check the product is suitable for your type of flooring, as there is a vast difference between real wood and melamine resin and fibre board material in laminate. Wood putty for example should not be used on some types of laminate.
Colour in scratches with a wood stain or stain matching crayons
Wood stains, which are available in oil-based, water-based, gel, and combination formulations, can be used to minimise deep scratches. Because oil-based stains dry slowly and are difficult to apply, they provide the richest, longest-lasting colours.
Water-based stains are accessible in many hues, and therefore simple to apply and clean up. Combination stains are utilised on polyurethane finishes, whereas gels do not go through and may be applied to any material, including previously painted wood.
Make sure you select the proper colour formula for your wood’s finish and fill in the scratch completely with liquid colour. Using a Q-tip, remove any excess stain and let it dry. Colour matching may be tricky when using stain markers or blending pencils, but you may be able to find the right colour match for your floor if you experiment a bit. Follow the directions on the package, clean any excess, and allow the solution to dry thoroughly.
