Have you ever ripped up the carpet in your home to find a beautiful wood floor underneath? If you weren’t expecting that concealed wood floor, you may not have been very gentle with your renovation, and, maybe, you have a few scuffs and scratches. Completely refinishing hardwood floors is overkill for a few light scratches so Old Reliable Floor Co of Cincinnati, OH, has some tips to help you treat your scuffs and scratches.

When you initially pull up that carpet there are tack strips lining the walls that held the carpet down. Removing these tack strips will leave small holes in your wood floor. These can be easily concealed with a wood putty that matches the color of the flooring. But, sometimes, when prying the tack strips up, the wood floor can be scratched or damaged. These scratches can be a little harder to conceal.

Before treating scratches, always clean the floor so you don’t end up preserving dirt and contaminants when you seal the floor. You can do this with a soft rag and some wood floor cleaner. Make sure it’s completely clean and dry before moving on to the next step.

For shallow and superficial scratches, simply sanding the wood floor will remove the scratch. Always sand in the direction of the grain. Then refinish hardwood floors in that area with stain and varnish that matches that of the rest of the floor. There are also other options, like the wood stain marker, which can be used for light scratches.

For deeper scratches, you can fill in the indent with matching wood putty by using a putty knife or your finger. Then, sand in the direction of the wood grain, and complete it by refinishing hardwood floors in that area.

If you have serious flooring damage, Old Reliable Floor Co can restore hardwood floors to their original beauty. But, if your wood floor is beyond saving, they can replace it as well. They have been refinishing hardwood floors for nearly 70 years and their expertise comes out in the quality of their work. Call them at (513) 922-5598 to set up an appointment and learn more about them at their website.