How to Fix Scratches in Hardwood Floors from a Dog

We love our pets so much. We like to sleep together and play together, which often brings danger to us. Their extra excitement leaves deadly scratches on the wooden floors that ruin the beauty of our home.

Many of us keep more than one pet. We gladly digest their annoyance, their everyday leftover fur that sticks to your sofa or bed that we can easily clean with a suitable handheld vacuum. Many manufacturers have even created a vacuum to make the job more efficient, especially pet hair cleaners.

However, as more than one pet fights with each other for no reason, as a pet owner you have to endure it. But you never want them to scratch your favorite wooden floor like this. Again, you can’t stop them. So you need to find a way to fix this scratch of hard floor obtained from dogs.

Fix Scratches in Hardwood Floor

Wooden floors are often a part of our hobby. But we love our pets very much. So you have to accept that the floor will be stained. However, you do not want to accept that such scratches will ruin the beauty of your home. So my discussion today will be to make you completely relax in this matter. So let’s say we need to do whatever it takes to refine it. I will tell you the best way to bring back the beauty of your wooden floor.

When it comes to fixing wood floors, how easy or difficult it will be to fix them depends on how deep the stain is. Fixing a deep scratch can be challenging if it moves too close to the end of the floor. In this case, you may need to repair or replace the damaged floor, which will be difficult for you to do alone. However, if the scratch is on the surface of the floor, it is easy to repair.

Depending on the stage of the scratch, I will go into the matter of fixing it. Notice carefully.

For Superficial Scratches

First, we will talk about light scratch, how to fix light scratches on the floor. You need to take some materials before you start fixing the floor. Start the work by arranging the following materials.

1. Hardwood cleaner
2. Stain filled wood marker or any kind or color wood polish
3. Shellac or polyurethane for glossiness
4. Soft cloth
5. Brush and water

In the first stage, let’s start the process of shallow scratch fixing.

• In order to get proper results, first clean the place, it must be cleaned well. For that, you can use your regular vacuum. Clean the area better with a damp cloth after cleaning the loose dirt.
• Since you are repairing the floor you want it to be absolutely dirt free. Because after repairing, you see that there are stains in it which need to be cleaned, then all your hard work will be wasted. Apply hard floor cleaner. You can avoid store cleaners if you want, and make a liquid cleaner with vinegar and water. We have told you how to make the formula. Read more in another article on how to clean car seat stains. Stop your pet and other members from moving to that location while doing the job.
• Let’s use the wood marker to cover the light scratches on your floor. Here are some skills you need to show. Follow the design around the scratch and try to draw it in the same way with the help of markers. Or you can use any kind of pigment wood polish if you want. However, follow their manual before using pigment polish. And if you use pigment, be sure to dry the first coat before applying multiple coats.
• Make sure your wooden floor is glossy. Because many people use non-glossy wooden floors. If it is glossy, apply shellac or polyurethane to restore its gloss. Use a brush to apply it. Apply it very well with a brush as far as rubbing and repair work has been done. Match its layers by looking around. And take some time to dry.

For Deep Scratches (which you can fix)

For deep scratches you will need some extra materials. Since the amount of damage in these scratches is a bit more. So it would be wise to start working on everything you need.

1. Hardwood cleaner
2. Stain filled wood marker or any kind or color wood polish
3. Shellac or polyurethane for glossiness
4. Soft cloth
5. Brush and water
6. Wire wool
7. Wax filer
8. Wood putty
9. Putty knife
10. Sandpaper

Let’s start the process.

• Thoroughly clean the area to get the best results for scratch cleaning. You can use a vacuum cleaner to make the job easier. Maybe it’s your regular vacuum cleaner. Clean all dirt from the area around the scratch as well as a wipe with a damp cloth so that there is no doubt.
• The next important task will be to apply the floor cleaner. Because there may be some dirt on the floor which is not cleaned just by vacuuming. There is good reason to put so much emphasis on cleaning before starting work. When you fix a scratch, if there is dirt around, it will become a mix-up which should not be done at all. You can also make the cleaner at home. You can make the mixture by mixing one cup of vinegar in one gallon of water with lemon juice. This excellent and effective mixture you can use in any other cleaning work.
• Give the place some time to dry. Now rub the place carefully with some wire wool so that it becomes smooth. The work you need to do is to make sure that the ingredients you use to fill them fit properly.
• Now it’s time to fill in the scratch. Fill the hole with wood filler. You can use wax filler. Fill well with your hand first then level the space with the help of a knife. The work should be done carefully so that the wood filler does not come up. Allow time to dry indefinitely.
• Remove unwanted objects around it with a cloth.
• When the filling is done, use a wax stick to match the color with your floor.
• If your floor is glossy, apply polyurethane to restore its shine. Use a brush to apply polyurethane so that you can apply it well.

Some Effective Ways to Protect Hardwood Floors from Scratches

Prevention has always been more important than cure. So we should be more focused on how to prevent scratches from being worn. To prevent this we can prevent it from happening just by thinking about how these scratches are born on our floor.

We are pulling furniture from side to side on our floor, walking randomly on the floor with high heels. And the contribution of our pet is the most. So let’s note some reasons.

• Stop entering your home after shoes. Encourage yourself and other family members to take off their shoes at the entrance. Because it is a significant reason to get scratched on the wooden floor. So use soft rubber sandals for your guests to walk around the house.
• Rotation of furniture is a big reason to get such bad scratches on your floor. So you have to refrain from such dragging of furniture. However, since the furniture has to be moved here and there for different needs, so put a protective rubber pad on their feet.
• Since our pet is one of the reasons for scratching the floor, cut the pet’s toenails regularly. It cannot scratch so do the job.
• Train your pet to keep moving on the wooden floor. Train them for coexistence on the hardwood floor. Bathe them regularly so that they feel comfortable.
• Refrain children from playing with any metal object. They are ignorant so they can unknowingly throw a big scratch on the floor through those metal objects. So take the matter seriously.
• Use a soft bristle broom to clean the floor. And choose other cleaners carefully so that you don’t get any scratches when it comes to cleaning. You will find many vacuums in the market which are a very suitable vacuum for hardwood floor.

Conclusion

Hardwood floor is one of our favorite decoration styles, which enhances the beauty of our home. But it would be very sad if it lost its beauty due to our negligence. Again, many times after taking care of us, it gets scratched after our various behaviors or for our pets. So we should fix it immediately without wasting too much time. Hopefully, with the ways, I have shown you can easily heal all types of scratches without any major scratches.

As for advice, I will tell you, yes you can do the job through the servicemen if you want maybe you think the job will be difficult. But let me tell you – it was a very simple process for you and you can do it if you arrange just a few things, and avoid spending a fairly good amount.