In this article:
• Remove Wood Floor Scratches & Dents
• Repair Stained Wood Floor
• Repair a Squeaky Wood Floor
• Replace Damaged or Rotted Wood Flooring
Expert advice on how to repair wood floor scratches, stains, squeaks, damage, and more.
Even the best wood floor are subject to problems. For starters, wood is more likely to scratch than other flooring. Other problems range from minor surface damage to serious structural defects to the most annoying problem wood floors fall prey to—squeaks. There is no easy way to avoid surface scratches and gouges—they’re the inevitable result of daily wear and tear. Nor can you prevent problems caused by expansion and contraction. Wood, as a naturally fibrous and porous material, expands and contracts with changes in temperature and humidity. As it does so, boards can separate or warp and nails can loosen.
The natural settling of a house can also cause separations between the joists and the subfloor. If your floor is sagging or uneven, there could be a serious structural problem causing it; in this case, consult a professional.
To maintain wood floors, vacuum or dry-mop them about once a week. How to Remove Wood Floor Scratches & Dents
Minor scratches often can be buffed away using steel wool or progressively finer sandpaper grits. Restrict your sanding to the scratched area, feathering only slightly into the surrounding surface. Sand or buff only in line with the wood grain.
Polyurethane finishes are difficult to sand. Try using a scouring pad dipped in mineral spirits or a sanding screen.
HomeTips Pro Tip: Don’t ever wax a wood floor that has been coated with a polyurethane finish—this will make it impossible to recoat in the future without having to sand it first.
If paste wax will adhere to the finish, you can use it to hide scratches, and the wax is available in clear, honey tone, or brown to match most any wood floor. Wood-repair wax sticks may help to fill deeper scratches and dents.
You can sometimes raise small dents by placing a few drops of water on them and allowing the wood to swell back to its original shape. Applying mild heat with an iron or heat gun helps this process along
How to Repair Stained Wood Floors
Stains on wood floors are typically water marks, caused by spills or over-watering house plants. The area must be sanded, sometimes bleached, and then refinished to match the rest of the floor, which is the trickiest part. It’s a good idea to hire a professional for this work, particularly if the stain is in a highly visible area.
If you do decide to take on this project yourself, this is how the process goes:
1) Sand the area with a vibrating sander, first with 100-grit sandpaper and then with 150-grit.
2) Vacuum the area.
3) Wipe the area with mineral spirits for an oil-based stain and water for a latex stain.
4) For a dark stain, apply bleach or an oxalic-acid solution to lighten the stain, and then lightly sand with 150-grit sandpaper.
5) Mix up a stain to match the existing floor color. This process usually requires testing possibilities on a piece of wood that’s the same species as your floor. If you can’t find replacement pieces, cut them from a closet or another inconspicuous part of your existing floor and then replace that cutout with newer flooring.
How to Repair a Squeaky Wood Floor
Squeaky floors are very common in older homes. Wood floors squeak when something—usually a board—works loose and rubs against another board or against the subfloor. You can de-squeak the floor by either lubricating between surfaces that rub to reduce the friction or by stopping the movement altogether.
Lubricating is easy but not always effective. Try working a little powdered or liquid graphite or talcum powder between floor boards and then clean up the surface.
Stopping the movement is a more permanent solution. To determine exactly what is squeaking, go under the floor if possible, to a basement without a finished ceiling or to a crawlspace, and then listen while somebody walks above you. If necessary to locate the squeak, remove any insulation.
Check for nails that have missed the floor joists and are rubbing up against them, causing the squeak. If you find these types of nails, cut them off with a good pair of diagonal cutters.
Also check for areas where the subfloor may not be nailed down with enough nails. If there is a gap between a joist and the subflooring, drive a glue-coated shingle or shim between the joist and subfloor just tight enough to kill the squeak. If that doesn’t work, drive a screw through the subfloor into the underside of the surface flooring. Be sure the screw is short enough not to pop through the surface. Insert it through a fender washer before driving it. It’s easiest to use square-drive or drywall screws and a power screwdriver or cordless drill with the appropriate driver tip.
Nailing solid blocking between floor joists can also strengthen the support for subflooring, eliminating squeaks. If the joist is sagging and the subfloor is flat, cut a piece of 2-by-4 long enough to extend 12 inches beyond the gap on either side. Nail it to one side of the joist.
Squeaks coming from between joists may be caused by inadequate bridging. Renail any loose planks and, if necessary, install a reinforcing piece of bridging against the subfloor.
Finish flooring that does not fit flush with the subfloor can be tightened from below. Drill a couple of 1/4-inch holes through the subfloor, taking care not to drill through the finish floor.
Press the nozzle of a carpenter’s glue bottle into the holes and force glue up into the space between subfloor and finish flooring. Then have someone stand on the raised spot while you drive screws through the subfloor into the finish floor. Be sure the screws are long enough to grip the finish floor without going all the way through, and use washers to ensure the screws will not be pulled into the subfloor.
Another method is to pre-drill pieces of 2 by 2, 18 inches long, at convenient angles for driving 2-inch or 2 1/2-inch screws into the subfloor and joists. Partially drive the screws into the pre-drilled holes. Coat the screws with carpenter’s glue and power-drive them into place.
If you can’t get under the floor, or the underside is covered with a finished ceiling, try squirting wood glue into cracks between boards and working it in with a putty knife. Wipe up the excess glue and weight down the surface.
As a last resort, drive ring-shank nails at a slight angle into floor joists. Before driving them, drill pilot holes so that the wood does not split. Use a nailset to sink the heads below the wood’s surface. (If you re-sand the floor in the future, these nailheads can be troublesome because they may tear up the sandpaper on the power sander.) Fill nail holes with wood putty colored to match the flooring.
How to Replace Damaged or Rotted Wood Flooring
Badly damaged or rotted sections of flooring must be removed and replaced with new pieces. This involves cutting out a section of the finish flooring, gluing or nailing replacements to the subflooring, filling cracks to match, sanding the surface, and refinishing it. If you’re not experienced with this type of work, you’ll find the most difficult part is getting the new to match the old. This job is usually best left to a professional.
