Hardwood floor question. (laminate, refinish, color, kitchen)

[kutra11]

I have hardwood floors in my house but I have no idea what kind they are or who the manufacturer is.

There are some scratches on the floor that seem to have gone into the wood. I think that's the case since the floor finish is brown (like golden oak), and the scratches seem to expose the white below the floor surface.

How can I remove these scratches? And where can I find the tools necessary to remove them?

Thanks,
K

[Keeem]

The only way to remove scratches is to have the floor sanded and then stain and refinish them. It shouldn't matter who the manufacturer is if they are indeed hardwood and not laminate flooring (thin layer of wood over particle board type material) - any good hardwood flooring service can help you with a sand and refinish. Some, like svbwoodfloors.com, use dustless sanding. If you're in the KC area I cannot recommend them enough, there are bound to be others that have similar high standards and workmanship to do it as well. You could rent a sander and... well... that's a skillset, it really is.

You can disguise the scratches, too. There are numerous items on the market from wax sticks to markers to stain the scratches so they're less noticable. I've used the min-wax markers (on kitchen cabinets before putting a house on the market - worked GREAT) and I've used the liquid min-wax (pain in the arse!). I'd recommend the markers. Just have lots of paper towels handy to wipe as you go so you aren't overstaining your scratches and the surrounding area. It's easy to add more, not so easy to take it off. Lowe's has them in like 16 colors.

[ShaneSA]

The scratches add character and make the floors look used and well loved. Disguise them or reduce the obviousness of them and do not sand the floors. Sanding means you have to remove the finish and sand down the wood past the scratch. It means removing the wood to that depth and it will leave a valley if you only do one spot. Only sand the floors if you are going to do the whole room.

[findinghope]

you cant obsess over every little scratch or you will be redoing your floors every year.
if its just a couple of scratches, i would say use old engish oil. its "hides" the scrtaches at least for a little while.

[kutra11]

Originally Posted by findinghope

you cant obsess over every little scratch or you will be redoing your floors every year.
if its just a couple of scratches, i would say use old engish oil. its "hides" the scrtaches at least for a little while.

Yup, that's true. You see, I just sold my house so I need to cover the scratches and make the h/w floor presentable to the buyers. Just my way of making them feel good.

[Streamer1212]

There are repair "crayons" at either of the "Big Box" stores that you can use to fill and color the scratches. They harden after drying like a wood putty/filler would.

Old English is a fine product, but if the floors are finished with a poly-type finish, it might get all smeary looking. That's a technical term used by us flooring professionals.

Regards,
Streamer1212