The purchase of wood floors is a major investment in Houston, and it’s natural to want to keep them looking their best for as long as you can. But scratches happen from pets, kids, or even furniture rubbing against the floor and when they do, the last thing you want is a trip to the store for a new one.
How do you fix scratches in hardwood floors in Houston?
You can use a couple of methods to fix scratches in hardwood flooring. Let’s take a closer look at some of the more popular options.
Sanding or Stripping the Old Finish
Ideally, it would help if you first tried to remove a scratch on a hardwood floor by sanding down the damaged area and re-staining it. This is best done when the scratch is not too deep since this puts more stress on the wood fibers and may cause them to split or crack later on. If you have a scratch that is about ¼” deep, opt to do a thorough sanding and re-staining rather than filling the scratch with a finish.
Refinishing or Varnishing
A different approach may work better for you if your hardwood floor is finished, especially if your scratch is relatively shallow. This involves sanding the floor with fine-grit sandpaper, allowing it to dry thoroughly, and then applying a clear protective finish to seal over the scratch and restore the natural beauty of the wood grain.
Applying special scratch-repair products
It is a less popular method but worth mentioning since many people have successfully applied a scratch-repair product. There are many of these on the market, so you will need to choose one based on what type of wood your floors are made from.
Call in a Wood-Floor Pro
If you have tried all of the above and are still not happy with how your hardwood floor looks, it may be time to call in a professional. Often, this means sanding down much or all of the existing finish and refinishing or staining the entire surface again. Although this is laborious work, it does have the advantage of being a permanent solution – and you won’t need to worry about your floors getting scratched again.
Replace the Boards
If you have boards in your wood flooring that are severely scratched, there is a possibility of replacing these to match the surrounding boards. This is not an easy job, but it will mean that you can remove all of the scratches, and you won’t need to be concerned about the damage again. Just remember to do a thorough job of replacing each board, or you may find that the damage comes back again when your floorboards expand and contract in response to changes in humidity.
Whatever method you choose, be sure to use good quality tools and stay within the specifications recommended by the manufacturer. This will ensure that you get professional results and make your hardwood floors look better than ever, here are some helpful hints.
Conclusion
I hope that you have learned some new ways to repair wood floors with scratches from this article. Be sure to keep your floor clean and dry and protect it from future damage with a clear protective finish or any of the unique scratch-repair products from my blog post.
