Hardwood floors are becoming more popular in homes, especially during renovation projects. They are easier to clean and look great, but maintaining a red oak or Brazilian cherry floor in its pristine condition can be somewhat of a challenge. A professional floor finisher will charge anything from $1 – $4 per square foot to apply a new coat of finish.
So how can you remove those annoying scratches and marks and deep gouges on a budget? Here are some tips that can achieve just that in a few easy steps:
How to camouflage scratches:
Crayons, wax sticks, stain markets and even Sharpie pens are great ways of hiding minor scratches. Don’t be afraid of mixing colors to get a decent match, and don’t worry if the color is a little off. So long as you cover the contrasting “white” scratches, color imperfections will match perfectly.
Use this homemade polish to remove the scratch: mix equal parts of vinegar and olive oil, pour directly on to the scratch and let it soak for a day and then wipe off. Keep repeating until the scratch disappears. The mixture will remove dirt, moisturize and give the wood a great shine.
How to remove deeper scratches:
Deeper scratches require more work and patience. There is an easy formula: sand, fill, sand again, stain and seal.
Sand the affected area with very fine gauge steel wool or lightweight sandpaper, ensuring that you are sanding with the grain.
Using a plastic putty knife, apply wood filler and not wood putty, as the filler will absorb the stain better than putty.
Using a lambs wool applicator, seal the affected area with polyurethane, or whatever product was used on the floor originally.
How to fix gaps in the floor:
The older the floorboards are, the more susceptible they are to separating. Use colored wood putty that matches the color of the floor, and carefully fill the gaps. If the gaps are quite large and if you have some spare planks, cut a narrow band and glue it into the gaps.
It takes time and patience to get the floor looking like its original state. As with carpets, a good tip would be to spread rugs all over the heavy traffic areas. This will preserve your floor life and add to the décor of the room.
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