How To Keep Your Hardwood Floor Scratch-Free

So you’ve finally laid down the hardwood floor of your dreams, moved your furniture back in, and are enjoying every minute of your updated interior space. Then one day while relaxing, you notice a scratch. It may not be that serious, but to you, it stands out. What do you do?

Preventing Scratches on Hardwood Flooring

Prevention is better than cure, so they say, and this old adage also applies to your beautiful hardwood floors. One of the things you can do to keep them as smooth and shiny as the first day you installed them is to put felt pads on the bottom of chair and table legs to prevent furniture drag. Of course, furniture shouldn’t be dragged across the floor but carried as dragging heavy objects across your hardwood floor increases the chances of scratches forming.

When stepping on hardwood floors, it’s best that you avoid walking on them with spiky shoes. Footwear like stilettos and cleats can dig into the wood and cause deep scratches and gouges that can only be repaired by replacing the damaged floor boards. Also, although sand and rocks are tiny, they can cause big scratches on hardwood floors. Putting door mats in entryways will help minimize these items from being tracked onto your hardwood floor and the damage that can result.

Taking Care of Scratches on Your Hardwood Floor

First off, determine the extent of scratching your hardwood floor has. Minor scratches, which may be due to pets or footwear dragging on the surface, can sometimes be repaired wax sticks that usually come with pre-finished hardwood care kits. Other minor scratches can also be repaired by using a q-tip to apply a matching finish – do so carefully as applying too much may make your little scratch repair obvious. You want to maintain the smooth perfection of your hardwood floor without any bumps or ridges.

Larger, deeper scratches, such as those caused by moving heavy furniture (refrigerators, large consoles, etc.), should and must be only taken care of by floor care professionals. In a lot of the cases, surface refinishing will not work, and there is nothing else to do but replace the damaged board. This is the reason why it’s always a good idea to keep spare boards handy.