*Please Help Me Fix Some Scratches in My Girlfriend's Wood Floor Before She Kills Me!

[matthew mcclure 714]

I'm in a bit of a pickle here and need some sound advice from the wisest of folks in this area, hence why I turned to Sawmill Creek.

Recently, while moving furniture at my girlfriend's house, I accidentally scratched the heck out of the hardwood floors that only 6 months ago, we had sanded, stained and finished ourselves. Naturally, the gf wasn't happy.

I need to fix this ASAP before I wind up on the back of a milk carton.

One of the scratched is more of a "scuff", while the other is a thin, but noticeable gash. They both run about 5 feet! (I know, I'm an idiot).




We used a polyurethane finish if that helps.


Many thanks in advance!!

Matthew

[matthew mcclure 714]

Sorry...here are some pics to give you a better idea:

The Scratch, http://www.flickr.com/photos/94306977@N00/7701532684
The Scuff, http://www.flickr.com/photos/94306977@N00/7701516266
and the 2 together http://www.flickr.com/photos/94306977@N00/7701511710

[Paul Sikorski]

Canada is a very nice place to live.

[Michael W. Clark]

The scuff looks like it is in the finish. I would try some furniture polish first. If that didn't help, I would try adding some poly thinned with mineral spirits to a small part of it to see if that helped. You may have to buff it first with whatever grit you were using between coats.

The scratch looks like it goes to the bare wood. You may have to stain and finish it.

My Dad has always had good luch with Formsby's. I'm not sure it would work, but once again, you could try it in a small spot where it would be leas noticable.

You may get some good help over in the Finishing forum.

Mike

[robert raess]

Scratch:Minwax has a wide assort. of wax pencils, pick a few for the main color and a few for the dark, and have plenty on hand[to save trips].I take the color or colors and melt them ever so slightly.they turn to liquid real fast, try to avoid that.take a short candle and set it on a scrap pc. non-flammable slick material such as:corian or laminate. set the candle on the palette and drip some wax on it and mix your different colors to get your exact match.get a plastic putty knife, and while the wax is still soft put it in the scratch and press it in. Take your plastic putty knife or a plastic razor blade[auto body shops may use them in your area.]and shave off all the wax on the surface,and put the scrapings back on the palette.Now take a cotton t-shirt wrap it over the putty knife and rub off all the wax on the floor leaving only the wax in the scratch, you can rub right over the wax.If you only use one color for the whole repair it will stand out. You can use stain pens, but they are meant for small then marks and it's easy to get the color wrong.You can rub out the scuff, depending on the sheen of the floor.I have rubbing compounds of all grits,[auto body again]that can buff the sheen up to gloss or semi or satin,it's real easy to get gloss, you might have to use a gray abrasive pad[true value] to back off the sheen once you get too glossy. Rob

[scott vroom]

Area rug..

[Phil Thien]

Do you have any leftovers of the original stain and poly you used to refinish the floor? Or at least knowledge of what was used, so you could buy more?

If you have any of the stain, I'd be inclined to thin it a bit and slowly sneak-up on the appearance of the rest of the boards. You can use an artist's paintbrush. Just go slowly, and use the stain thin enough so you can use a few applications. If you can match the color via stain, you can then top-coat it.

You can also watch videos on youtube on how to repair furniture scratches, that may be helpful.

[matthew mcclure 714]

Wow, you guys are quick!

@Phil Thien - Yes, we still have the leftover stain as well as the leftover Bona finish, do I need to sand the scratch first?

@Robert - you've had good luck with those waxpens? I was hesitant about them. Should I try the original stain/finish? Which do you think is the better option?

Thanks again everyone!

[Rich Engelhardt]

Don't use any stain on the scratch. The wood fibers are crushed & you're now dealing with end grain. The end grain will go dark on you in a hurry and make the scratches stand out more - just like here: at the bottom of the post.

Unfortunately, there's little you can do to the deep scratch other than try to blend it in with the surrounding area.
Very gently sand the edges with 400 grit wet/dry or 0000 steel wool just enough to feather them in.
Wet the area with mineral spirits and see how well it blends into the surrounding area.
The mineral spirits will simulate how the finish will appear once its applied.

Do not use water. Since you're dealing with end grain (crushed wood fibers), using water will open them up more and make the process harder to do.

The good news here is that you did the right thing by using such a light colored stain. You stand a very good chance of not needing to use any stain to get it to blend in.

If it blends in, then using a clean cloth, wipe a coat of the floor varnish onto just the scratched area, avoiding the surrounding area as much as possible. Allow it to dry and apply another coat and this time apply it to the surrounding area also. I use circular "buffing" motions to do this as it allows me to apply a coat That's sheen blends in better with the surrounding area.

If the color is off after you apply the mineral spirits, then you will need to apply some stain.
This is going to be 100% trial and error, w/no way to go back and recover - except to live with the darker and more pronounced scratches - or - start all over again from scratch and sand the whole floor down.

To apply the stain, you need to dilute it and go in very slow steps. Reduce it 90% with mineral spirits if it's an oil based, water if it's a water based. Apply a very light coat of that and allow it to dry - 12 hours for oil, 2 hours for water based. Wipe with mineral spirits to see how it blends in. If it's too light, change the ratio to 80% and try again.
Once it's "close but just a hair light", you may want to stop at that point since lighter doesn't stand out nearly as bad as darker.

The other blemish should be an easy fix. Dilute your clear finish 50% and use it with a clean cloth to apply it. "Buff" it onto the surface until it matches the surround area in sheen.



FWIW - I run across a fair amount of these type of thing when we rehab a house. We try to let the floors go until last,,,but,,,stuff happens and sometimes a scratch or other blemish suddenly appears on a floor.
Also - for reasons I won't go into, the after picture down below, black scratches and all, is how that floor stayed - that damage was too extensive to repair.

[Lex Boegen]

I'm no expert, but for the scratch I'd put some clear plastic (e.g. Saran Wrap) over it and try different colors of stain pens. Pick one that's the closest but slightly lighter and try dabbing it in the scratch. Either that, or buy her some expensive jewelry.

[glenn bradley]

And the top responses so far . . . .

Canada is a very nice place to live.

Area rug..

I will defer to others here. I am afraid my immediate reaction to the pics was to think "he's a dead man" . +1 on avoiding colorants that soak in (like oils) as those damaged fibers will go dark as others have mentioned/shown.

[Carl Beckett]

I agree that you should avoid trying to 'match it' with colored pens, stains, etc. Only a very few select people can pull this off and not have it look worse.

Using the original stain is a thought. maybe a small amount on a Q-tip and then wiped off quickly.

then the original finish over that - wipe it on so its thinned a bit.

Once new liquid hits the surface it should darken it somewhat just by being wet.

And the reality is that, there will be more scratches to come so eventually this wont be the worst. But its unfortunate you had to be the one to cause the first one...... consider it as a test on how you will handle these things as a couple (if she over reacts, then, maybe its just as well).

[Richard Coers]

Use a shellac burn in stick. This will level the surface and add the color. Do plenty of practicing to get the right color.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-d9btPTImI

[Matt McColley]

time to remodel the dog house?

I often have to remind my wife.... "you took a vow dear... for better or worse"

then I go run and hide in my basement shop.

[Lee Schierer]

I would follow the advice from Rich Englehardt but in addition, put 1 dozen red roses and a box of chocolates on a table near the scratch. After that the scratch will hardly be noticed.