Tips for Denver Homeowners on How to Repair Wood Floors and Erase Ugly Scratches

Here's a helpful article I found at HouseLogic.com. It was written by Jane Hoback and published January 14, 2011. I think it provides some great inexpensive tips Denver homeowners can use to keep the wood floors of their homes in top resale condition, so I'm reprinting it here for you to enjoy!

Repair wood floors and scratches that make rooms look worn out. We'll show you easy ways to put the luster back into your floors.

Dogs chase kids, pans drop, chairs scrape, and soon you must repair wood floors and erase scratches that make a mess of your red oak or Brazilian cherry (http://www.myflooringhelper.com/types-of-hardwood-floors.html). A professional floor refinisher will charge $1 to $4 per square foot to apply a new coat of finish. No worries. We've got inexpensive ways to remove wood scratches and repair deep gouges in a few easy steps.

Camouflage Scratches

Take some artistic license to hide minor scratches in wood floors by rubbing on stain-matching crayons and Sharpie pens. Wax sticks, such as Minwax Stain Markers, are great scratch busters because they include stain and urethane, which protects the floor's finish.

Don't be afraid to mix a couple of colors together to get a good match. And don't sweat if the color is a little off. Real hardwoods mix several hues and tones. So long as you cover the contrasting "white" scratches, color imperfections will match perfectly.

Homemade Polish

Mix equal parts olive oil and vinegar, which work together to remove dirt, moisturize, and shine wood. Pour a little directly onto the scratch. Let the polish soak in for 24 hours, then wipe off. Repeat until the scratch disappears.

Spot-sand Deep Scratches

It takes time to repair wood gouges: Sand, fill, sand again, stain, and seal. Here are some tips to make the job go faster.

• Sand with fine-gauge steel wool or lightweight sandpaper.
• Always sand with the grain.
• Use wood filler, which takes stain better than wood putty.
• Use a plastic putty knife to avoid more scratches.
• Seal the area with polyurethane, or whatever product was used on the floor originally.
• Apply the polyurethane coat with a lambs wool applicator, (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/must-have-painting-tools/) which avoids air bubbles in the finish.

Fix Gaps in Floor

Old floorboards can separate over time. Fill the gaps (http://homerenovations.about.com/od/floors/f/faqfloorgaps.htm) with colored wood putty. Or, if you have some leftover planks, rip a narrow band and glue it into the gap.

If you're thinking about buying a Denver home, our team of real estate experts at The Bandy Team can help you find a perfect house with beautiful hardwood floors that will help your house sell if you take good care of them. We'll answer your questions and show you some terrific values on houses in Aurora, properties in Castle Rock, including the two communities of homes in Castle Pines; and real estate in the Denver Metro Area, including a wide variety of homes in Littleton.

Marianne Bandy

Consider relocation to Denver, Colorado.