Removing Scratches and Dents in Hardwood FloorsWe have not tried the process of removing scratches and dents from hardwood floors that we are going to describe in this post. If one of our readers has tried this we would really like to hear from you. We have a couple of scratches. Also some marks we want to get rid of but are hesitant to try this approach. We know that you should always experiment first. In an out of the way place on your floor in case you screw up so that it will not be seen. We just do not have that situation and are afraid to try it in a main floor area. Anyone with comments?

What we have is a scratch from moving a piece of furniture across the floor. It is about 3 inches long and maybe a 16th of an inch deep. We have a rug covering it now, but really would like to remove the dent in the floor so that it does not show. The rug is not in the ideal place for us. It happened before we even realized that the bottom of the piece of furniture had a leg that could do that. My husband was so mad, he could spit nails. The floor is only a year old and we would like to be able to remove this scratch or at lease minimize it so that it is not as noticeable.

The Recommended Process

Removing a scratch or dent sounds pretty simple. The steps are as follows:

  • Wet the scratch or dent with a little bit of water
  • Apply a wet cloth or paper towel over the dent, and then
  • Move the iron in a circular motion across the towel for 3-5 minutes
  • Make sure there is a lot of stem being generated and do not allow the iron to stay in one place for long to avoid over heating the floor.

We were told that this does not work on all hardwood floors especially those with finishes. You definitely want to try this in an area that is out of the way before trying it on the floor in a high visibility area.  Older hardwood floors were the finish has worn off are probably the best to try this process on.

Applying heat over a damp cloth may in fact lift the finish off or at least remove the shiny look that your floor may have. Sanding with a very fine sandpaper or steel wool may buff it back to the shiny look, but not always. Try it first somewhere out of the way. I know we keep saying this, but we cannot emphasize it enough.

Removing Scratches and Dents in Hardwood Floors

Dents that have been around for a while may also have dirt lodged in the crease or depression. Even with the treatment above you may find that light sanding is going to be needed in order to remove this dirt. Before you start sanding, ensure that you have a plan for dealing with the floor area to be sanded after you remove some or all of the finish.  Sometimes you can match the existing finish and do a patch job. Which will be almost invisible. However again experimentation is encouraged before trying it on the main floor.

You definitely do not want to end up with a floor that has several colors or tones to it which stand out even more than the dent or scratch did.  If it does not work in your experiment you definitely do not want to try it in the main spot.

If you have tried this or have comments on removing dents or scratches from hardwood floors, leave a comment. Both of us will benefit and we will help our readers at the same time.