March Makeover-For-Your-Home Series: New Life to Wood Floors

Wood flooring is an attractive selling point to any home. So whether you are just seeking to beautify your flooring for spring and summer activities, or get your home in tip-top condition for sale, make sure your wood floors shine. If you are concerned that your wood flooring has a few dings and scratches or other unsightly flaws, then you will be pleased to know how easy it is to make those flaws vanish away. Check out this article I found:

Repair Wood Floors and Erase Ugly Scratches

By: Jane Hoback
Originally Published: January 14, 2011

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.


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, which avoids air bubbles in the finish.

Fix gaps in floor
Old floorboards can separate over time. Fill the gaps with colored wood putty. Or, if you have some leftover planks, rip a narrow band and glue it into the gap.

So there you have it: a path back to a beautiful floor!


The home selling process can be intimidating. Be sure to become familiar with the home selling process if you have never sold a home before. Doing so can prevent a lot of stress and help you to make the very best decision on a real estate agent and how to ready your home for sale. If you intend to buy or sell a home in southeast Texas, be sure to call Lauri Kent and her team.