It’s been niggling away at you for weeks and you can’t look away. That scratch in the centre of the room thanks to your children dragging the furniture over the newly polished floorboards is causing you all sorts of grief and you’ve got to do something about it. Don’t panic! Whether it’s a scratch, a dent or a gauge – there’s a solution. Here’s a step by step guide to help you resolve your flawed floorboards.
Assess The Damage
The first and most obvious step is to check out the extent of the damage. There’s no point replacing floorboards or going to the trouble of resanding and polishing if there’s a simpler solution.
Light Or Deep Scratch
For light scratches you just need fine steel wool. Rub the steel wool over the scratch remembering to do it with the grain of the wood, otherwise you’ll have more scratches to fix.
The next level of damage is a deep scratch which requires a light sandpaper. Start by using about a 180 grade paper and if that’s not enough, work your way down to a coarser grade, say 120. Again, be sure to only sand with the grain of the wood.
Smooth It Out
When you’ve finished sanding, you’ll need to apply some mineral spirits (a.k.a. mineral turpentine) to the affected areas to pick up dust and smooth out the surface.
Fill It In
Now it’s time to fill it in with a premixed wood putty. Make sure you use a plastic putty knife to apply the putty, once again, to avoid more scratches.
Smooth It Out Again
Once the putty has dried, you’ll need to give a really light sand to smooth it out once and for all. Don’t use anything coarser than a 180 grade sandpaper or you’ll be starting again from scratch.
Seal The Deal
You’re just about ready to sign off on the job. All your floor needs now is a quick coat of varnish or polish to match the finish of the rest of your floor.