Fixing Dents in Hardwood Flooring - DIY Guide

Hardwood flooring is known for its durability and hard-wearing power. However, even with such a strong and lasting type of flooring, there is no doubt that accidents can happen and issues can arise as a result. One of the common issues and one type that affects the appearance and overall condition of your hardwood floor are dents. Dents, scuffs, gouges, and scratches can appear due to many factors, unfortunately, a lot of them happening on an everyday basis, including moving heavy furniture, simply in households with young children and pets, due to high traffic on a worn flooring surface, and more.

No matter the reason, dents and scratches are definitely not affecting the appearance of your floor in a positive way. Additionally, they can hide risks for major and more serious issues and problems that are hard to repair or even beyond repair. Therefore, it is a good idea to tackle such imperfections as soon as possible and don't leave them neglected. However, there is not always a possibility to hire a professional to do the job for you. Therefore, it is a good idea if you get at least a general idea of how hardwood floor dents can be fixed. Even if you hire a specialist to tackle the issue for you, we recommend you to stay tuned with this guide and learn more about dent fixing.

Fixing Dents in Prefinished Wood Floors

Dents can occur pretty easily in hardwood floors, no matter how expensive and high-quality your hardwood floor is. If a dent occurs, you definitely want to take action as soon as possible and take care of it. Two key factors that will help you to fix a dent in a prefinished wooden floor are heat and moisture. First things first, you should make sure the dent is absolutely clean and there are no particles of dust and dirt or other small pieces of wood left in the dent. Once you take care of cleaning the area, you can continue with placing a dampened towel over the damaged area.

Next, place a steamer on top of the towel. The wooden floor will start slowly rising up. You can continue dabbing the floor's surface with the hot steamer until the wood is back to its initial shape, which will normally take no more than 5 minutes. However, keep in mind that this method usually works with dents that are not too deep. If it comes to a very deep and big dent, you better consider replacing the damaged floorboards with a new one that matches the rest of the floor.

Fixing Gouges in Hardwood Floors

Gouges are definitely the worst version of dents and they are more difficult to tackle down, However, it is not impossible to fix your favourite wooden floor. In the case of gouges, the fibres of the wood are probably broken or frayed. Gouges usually happen when you drag or push a very heavy piece of furniture on the surface of the floor without any protection. In order to fix a gouge, you want to first go to your local wood flooring store and get a wooden filler. Make sure the colour of the wooden filler matches perfectly the rest of the floor in order to achieve a uniform look and not a repaired area that stands out.

Working with a wood floor filler is easy, the paste is made out of natural resin and sawdust. Place the filler into the gouge and leave it to dry for as long as needed. Once the filler is completely dry, you can lightly sand over the patch for a uniform and even look. Smaller and not that deep gouges can be fixed with a simple DIY method. Just get a brown crayon and fill in the gouge with it, then wipe away any excess wax.

Get Dents Out of Finished Wood Flooring

Thankfully, fixing dents from finished hardwood flooring is relatively easy. All you need to do is adding a small amount of water to the dent. If your finish starts turning blue, don't worry, this is a reaction known as "blushing" and it will go away naturally once the finish is dry without harming the finish or the floor. Next, dab away excess water with a damp folded cloth over the dent filled with water. Next, press hot iron onto the cloth and remove the iron once the cloth gets dry. Check out and see what is happening with the dent. If the dent is still there and visible, make sure to repeat the process as many times as needed until the dent is completely gone.

Fixing Scratches Without Sanding

Sanding is great for every wooden floor and brings it back to its initial beauty, durability, and glory. However, sanding can also be messy and stressful, therefore not many people enjoy opting for this maintenance and improvement service. Scratches are not the wood flooring issues that will certainly ruin its integrity and durability. However, scratches definitely don't look great and make your floor appear older, worn, neglected.

Thankfully, wood floor scratch repair is easy and does not take too long. You can fix a scratched area of your floor without the need for sanding. However, keep in mind that if a big part of the floor is scratched, you still better opt for sanding, as it will get rid of the scratches faster. Before you start with this project, make sure the scratched area of the floor is absolutely clean. Use a dry cloth for removing grime and dust, and if the floor is finished with wax, make sure to remove the wax layer in this scratched area of the floor you are going to treat. One of the most common and easy ways to remove scratches is by using a blending pencil.

Thoroughly choose a pencil that matches the colour of the floor. You can also opt for using a finish restorer, which can also be an efficient option. Alternatively, you can use a mixture of equal parts of apple cider vinegar and olive oil, then dab the mixture on the scratched area. A few hours later you can remove the solution from the scratched area and your floor will most probably look brand-new. If nothing helps if the scratched area is too large, make sure to opt for sanding.