Even if you take all precautions to prevent scratches on hardwood flooring, sometimes it’s unavoidable. Both residential and commercial flooring can take a beating, so it’s a good idea to have some resources in your back pocket if this occurs. Whether you’re moving and furniture scratched the floor surface, or if you have accumulated small scratches over time since your floor installation, Ozburn-Hessey can help you in determining the best possible outcome to getting your floors back to its original beauty. Recently, the team at Ozburn-Hessey sat down to answer some questions about hardwood scratches and some solutions for repair. Here’s what they had to say:
Q: Does the repair process differ if the scratch is deep in the wood rather than a scratch on the surface level?
A: Yes. If the scratch has made an indention in the wood the only way to get it out is to sand and finish your hardwood floors. In order to get your floors looking continuous, we would need to sand the entire room where the scratch is located. If we just did the damaged area there would be a discoloration between the new “patched” area and the old area. Price per foot range $2.25-$3.25/sf.
Q: What’s the difference between prefinished hardwood flooring versus a field finished hardwood in terms of scratch repair?
A: If it’s a prefinished product there isn’t much you can do other than pull up some of the hardwood and splice in new planks. This has the ability to get pricey. If it’s field finished then you can potentially screen and recoat just that area. When using this method, sometimes the newly applied finish doesn’t really blend well with the old finish and you can get some “overlapping” on the repaired area. Other times based on how the light hits this area, you can never tell the difference. This could run approximately$200.00-$550.00 per scratched area.
Q: What do you suggest if I want to attempt to do the process myself to save money?
A: Buy a Minwax stain pen from Home Depot (paint department for under $10), color in the scratched white area, gently wipe the stain off with a dry rag. The white scratch will now be a darker color and match the color of your wood floor and no longer stick out like a sore thumb. A couple of helpful hints on this method is to buy a stain pen that is a shade or two lighter than you think. Scratches tend to absorb more stain and will turn darker than the stain color of your hardwood floor. Start lighter and go darker. You can always get darker with stain, but you can’t make it lighter once you put the stain down.
Hardwood floors are beautiful additions to your residential and commercial space, but one of the biggest concerns with hardwood floors is the scratching that can occur during everyday wear and tear. Whether you want to attempt the repair yourself or call a professional, Ozburn-Hessey is here to guide you! They can answer your questions about your residential and commercial flooring, and help you choose the best route for your schedule and budget. For more information about floor installation, commercial flooring and other floor and ceiling concerns in the Middle Tennessee area, contact them today!
