An excellent finish on your hardwood floors is important in protecting them against damage and keeping them looking brand new for many years, but if they become worn from regular use and develop deeper scratches that gouge the wood surface, sanding may become necessary to restore them back to new.
There are ways to revitalize your hardwood floors without needing to sand them down and restain them, providing an alternative approach.
Fill in deeper scratches
If your hardwood floors exhibit deeper scratches or blemishes, stain is an excellent way to cover up damage without making it obvious. Select a stain that matches the color of your flooring for best results, as well as clear sealant to protect from further wear-and-tear. Paste wax may work, provided they have penetrating finishes; scrape away an inconspicuous area with a knife first to determine this; if the wood underneath looks clearer after scraping away an area with knife edge then polyurethane finish would likely work better.
If your scratches are more like deep gouges, use a plastic putty knife to press wood filler into damaged areas of the wood surface. Be sure to stay within the borders of each scratch as you press in your filler – any excess should be wiped off while it’s still wet – once dry use a stain pen or blending pencil to tint the cure filler color so it matches up with the flooring color.
Cover up minor blemishes
Wood stain or paint can provide an efficient means of covering up minor blemishes on hardwood floors without resorting to sanding. Simply find a hue that complements the existing stain on your floor, apply with a soft cloth, let dry for 24 hours, then seal over with clear sealant.
This is an effective solution for repairing small surface scratches and minor scuff marks on oiled hardwood floors, as well as concealing any water or food-borne stains that refuse to come off with normal cleaning and buffing methods.
Before using any refinishing product, be sure to clear out the room of furniture and wipe down the floor using warm water and dish soap for optimal results. This will eliminate any dirt particles which could prevent polish or revitalizer from bonding with wood surfaces properly and may create dull finish results; in addition, deep cleansing with warm water and dish soap allows revitalizer to penetrate pores and scratches not completely removed by regular polishing/buffing methods.
Add a wax coating
Homeowners with wood floors that have lost some of their luster may benefit from wax coating them to restore the look and feel. Doing this is easy with products like hardwood floor revitalizer that come in spray bottles; simply spray on an area first before covering all floors; this should ensure it bonds and dries correctly.
Refinishing wood floors may be the ideal way to bring out their beauty, but recoating and applying fresh stain or paint are also effective solutions. Your wood may not require full refinishing at all – just minor repairs or color updates may suffice – making these solutions simple enough for DIY work and keeping your floors looking their best between professional services appointments.
Apply a stain or paint
Many property owners assume that to restore the luster of their hardwood floors, sanding them down and applying new finish is the only solution. But buffing, applying wax coating, or using furniture protectors could do just as much if surface-level damage occurs; they could revitalize its appearance.
If you are uncertain which finish your wood floors have, select an inconspicuous area and scrape some surface material off with a white cloth rag – if this comes away clean then polyurethane sealant likely covers them.
If your floors have an old-fashioned wax or shellac sealant that leaves brown streaks when you rag-wipe them, chances are your floors have old-fashioned wax or shellac as their sealant. While difficult to remove, these finishes cannot be polished away dents or faded paint patches; therefore if you decide to refinish with these materials be sure to take all necessary precautions and use suitable cleaners in order to ensure a safe and successful project.