wood floor scratch repair

[Don Morris]

Recently we had a handicapped family member visit for a week. He needed a cane and sat in the same place at the table during that week. He always placed the cane in the same place. Since then I've noticed scratch marks on our wood floor only in that area, which look like perhaps the rubber tip of his cane was worn through and the harder inner surface left the scratches. Without refinishing the whole floor, what would be the best way to repair the damage? The floor is a light red oak with a standard traditional poly on it.

[Brian Weick]

If you have a an extra piece of flooring scratch the area up on it, similar to the damaged area, sand it so it is no longer visible ( experimenting) and then experiment with some urethane (with a reducer~ ie mineral spirits) , whipping it on , let it dry and see if it a match for what is on the flooring from the factory. It may take a little time , but once you get it as a perfect match, you can start the repair - note: I would keep track of what you are doing , step by step, so the next time you have a damaged area you will have a reference sheet for repairing that flooring and not have to do this procedure all over again. My 2 cents. :)
Brian

[Frank Snyder]

I've had pretty good luck using a wet hand towel and a clothes iron to introduce steam into the damaged area causing it to raise above the surface. A light sanding with 150/180/220 grit ROS erases the scratches, and then I follow that with a couple of coats of floor poly (waterbased in my situation). My floor isn't stained, so if yours is, you'll need to experiment to find the right color stain to match prior to applying the floor grade poly.