How do I fix a scratch in hardwood floors?

Work out how deep the scratch is first, because that decides everything else. Drag a fingernail across it. If the nail glides over, the scratch is in the finish and often disappears with a clean and a polish. If the nail catches, the damage has reached the wood, and it needs a colour-matched filler for a small mark or a pro for anything larger.

Bona, a floor-finish maker, draws the line the same way. It describes major scratches, gouges and dents as the ones that can't be fixed with your usual routine of "cleaning and polishing, which fills in micro scratches".^[1] Everything lighter than that is within reach of an ordinary homeowner.

Light scratches: clean, then polish

Start with a clean floor, because grit left on the surface is what makes scratches look worse and cut new ones. Sweep or vacuum, then wipe the area with a clean, dry cloth. Shaw Floors advises sweeping or vacuuming regularly to remove dirt and grit, and says not to use wet mops or steam mops, harsh chemicals, ammonia or abrasive cleaners on hardwood.^[4] That rules out scouring pads and steel wool for scratches too.

Then use a polish made for your type of finish. Polish works by filling very fine scratches rather than removing wood, which is why it only suits surface marks.^[1] Test it on a hidden spot first, such as inside a closet or under a rug. The same Shaw guide says not to use oil-based wax or polish on its hardwood, so read your floor maker's care guide before choosing a product.^[4] If you do not know who made the floor, a polish labelled for hardwood with a factory finish is the safer guess, and a test patch is the way to confirm it.

Scratches that reach the wood

A scratch that catches your nail has gone through the finish. For a short, narrow one, the usual homeowner fix is a wax filler stick or a touch-up marker in a colour matched to the board. Warm the filler in your hand, rub it along the scratch, and wipe the surplus off across the grain with a soft cloth. Buff lightly, and step back to look from standing height, because that is how the floor is seen.

Colour matching is the hard part. Floors darken and fade with age and sun, so pick the shade on the lighter side and build up gradually; a mark that is a little light is far less visible than one that is a little dark. If you cannot get a match you are happy with, leave it alone and book a pro, because a poor patch is harder to hide than the scratch was.

Deep scratches and gouges

For deep scratches, gouges and dents, Bona says: "Often, such issues can be managed by sanding, filling and refinishing".^[1] It also recommends contacting a Bona Certified Craftsman to get a proper assessment of the damage.^[1] That is sound advice. Sanding through the finish into the board in one spot leaves a visible patch, and a floor is only sanded so many times in its life. Bona says a floor can be sanded around 4-6 times in its entire life, depending on its thickness and the experience of the flooring professional.^[1]

If the damage is spread across a whole room, a recoat may be the better answer. A recoat uses a buffer to lightly scuff the existing finish before the new layer goes on, and Bona lists "Fills in surfaces scratches" among its benefits.^[2] Costs and trade-offs for the bigger jobs are in how much hardwood floor refinishing costs in Virginia and whether to refinish or replace hardwood floors.

Stop more scratches

Bona is blunt that "all floors will get scratched, regardless of maintenance routine", but you can slow it down.^[3] Fabric pads and glides are excellent ways to guard your floors from scuffs and scratches due to furniture, and Bona advises avoiding plastic wheeled furniture.^[3] Mats at the doors keep grit out, but avoid rubber backed mats, since they can lock in moisture and damage floors.^[3] Shaw adds that you should not drag heavy furniture across the floor and should keep pet nails trimmed.^[4]

Stop and call a pro if

• The scratch is a gouge or a dent. The wood fibres are broken and the fix is sanding, filling and refinishing.^[1]
• The damage is dark, grey or black. Stained or discolored flooring is a telltale sign of water damage, and Bona recommends having it assessed because some floorboards may need replacing.^[1] Mold is the other worry: the EPA says to dry water-damaged areas within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth.^[5]
• Boards are cupped, lifting or soft underfoot. That points to moisture below or a subfloor problem, not a scratch.
• You are in a house built before 1978 and the job means sanding paint on trim or doors. The EPA requires anyone paid to perform work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes built before 1978 to be certified in lead-safe work practices.^[6]

Getting help in Virginia

Hardwood repair is flooring work, which the Board for Contractors defines as the installation, repair, improvement, or removal of materials that are common in the flooring industry.^[7] A Virginia contractor's licence is required when the work is valued at $1,000 or more, and DPOR's licence lookup shows whether a firm holds one.^[8] Browse flooring pros or more flooring answers, and see how much floor repair costs in Virginia before you ask for quotes.

When you are ready, describe the damage once and licensed local pros quote it.