Life happens. You’re cooking and drop a pan, one of the kids pulls out a chair and it scrapes the floor, your pet gets a little carried away. Rather than relying on a professional to fix a minor scratch on your floor, we’ve got some tips to help you fix minor wood floor scratches yourself!

DIY Floor Polish

Most people will have these ingredients around the house, which when combined can create a simple and easy-to-use floor polish, that works wonders! All you’ll need is some olive oil and white vinegar, mixing them in equal parts.

Simply pour a small amount of the polish mixture onto the scratch, and let it soak for about a day. Wipe it off after about 24 hours. If the scratch still remains, repeat until the scratch is no longer visible.

Disguise the Scratches

There are many different options to simply hide minor scratches. If you’ve already got one, a Minwax Wood Finish Stain Marker does wonders for hardwood floor scratches, as they’ve been created to protect your floor’s finish after application.

Another quick solution for small scratches would be a marker that matches the colour of your floor! These may have varying results, so be careful and experiment slowly, to avoid ruining the look of your floor with a miscoloured sharpie!

Spot-Sanding Larger or Deeper Scratches

For major scratches or gouges, you may need to resort to a more drastic treatment.

Here are some useful tips to help you along the way:

• Always sand the floor with the grain, not across or against.
• Use a light grit sandpaper, or fine-gauge steel wool to ensure no larger scratches are made.
• Rub white spirits over the sanded area to ensure smoothness, and remove any dust from sanding the area.
• Use a plastic putty knife to apply wood filler, or wood putty to fill in the scratches.
• Sand any excess filler away once it’s dried, to ensure smoothness
• Seal the area with whichever sealant product was used with the floor originally. You may need to consult your flooring company for this information.
• Use a lambs wool applicator or natural bristle brush to apply the sealant, do not use a foam roller! It will cause air bubbles in the finish.