Fixing Your Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors can be a beautiful feature in a home. They provide warmth and richness with clean lines that work with many different looks, from rustic to modern. But sometimes, no matter hard you try to take good care of your hardwood flooring, you will get a gouge in a plank. Besides replacing the damaged piece, what are your options? Well, you have several choices, so before you go pulling up your floors, read on. 

Wax

You can use either use hard wax or soft wax and both come in many colors. Find the color closest to the hue of your flooring.

• If you are using a hard wax, melt it, then fill the dent with the softer wax. Let it sit according to the directions on the package. Then scrape the excess off the top with a razor blade and seal the area to avoid further damage.
• If using a soft wax, fill the gouge, then scrape the extra off with a putty knife or other blunt knife. Once it's hardened, seal with a wood sealant.

Epoxy sticks

Epoxy sticks may need to be colored to match the color of your floor. You don't have to color the entire stick. Slice off the size you need, color it, then work it between your fingers to soften it enough to mold into the gouge. Once again, you will want to seal the area.

Latex Wood Filler

Latex wood filler comes in many colors, so again, choose one close to your floor's color. Fill the gouge in your floor with the latex wood filler and let it sit overnight to dry thoroughly. The next day, use a wet rag to remove the extra filler. You may need to sand it down to get it level with your floor. You can then use a colored stain to get it to match your floor perfectly before you seal it off with wood sealant.

Wood putty

Also available in multiple colors, wood putty is fairly easy to use. Fill the gouge with the putty and wait for it to dry as directed by package instructions. Once it's dry, you may find that it has shrunk some, leaving the gouge partially unfilled. That's okay. Fill in the rest and then let that dry as well. Once the hole is filled and dry to your satisfaction, you can scrape off the excess and buff it down with sandpaper before you seal it.

You want to keep your hardwood flooring beautiful, but life happens. Using some of these hardwood fixes can keep your floors beautiful for many years. Talk to a company like United Floors for more tips on taking care of your hardwood flooring.