How to fix scratches in Hardwood Flooring

3 min readJan 27, 2020

Whether your floors are a week old or have been trampled on for decades, they will eventually accumulate scratches and marks that will drive you crazy. You could sand and varnish your floors but if there are just a few scratches and marks in random areas, doing the entire floors is a little bit of over kill. So what are you to do if there is a big scratch right in the centre of your hallway?

Assess the Damage

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If it is a light surface scratch that only affects the varnish the treatment is far different from that of a deep scratch. Light scratches require a different repair approach from deep scratches. So get to know your scratch and then this will help you to evaluate how to proceed to the next step.

Scratch Some More

For a light scratch, this might seem counter intuitive but, you need to get some steel wool and lightly rub it over the scratch. Don’t worry I know what I am talking about. You need to trust me. For the deeper scratches, use sand paper. However, in both cases be careful not to rub to hard over the scratch or you will regret it down the line.

Preparing the Ground

Now you have to rub the area with mineral spirits to get out bits of dust and dirt and to smooth out the surface for the next phase of the process.

Filler

Now fill the scratch with premixed wood filler with a plastic putty knife. MAKE SURE THAT THE FILLER MATCHES THE COLOUR OF YOUR FLOORS. (No filler will match exactly but do not buy white filler when you have black floors!) After filling the scratch, sand down the area again, but make sure only to sand the scratch and not the surrounding area.

Seal Up!

Now you are ready to make the scratch vanish. Refinish the area with varnish, polyurethane or a similar product that matches the colour of your floor and just like that your floors look brand new. Make sure not to use a foam roller or brush to apply the sealant as air bubbles might form. Use a lambswool applicator or a natural bristle brush and voila.