How To Fix Gouges In Hardwood Floors?

Gouges are a common problem in hardwood floors which can be caused by dripping or dragging something heavy on the wooden surface.

They are somewhere between a scratch and a dent as they have properties of both. Gouges can greatly mar the appearance of your floors due to which, it becomes necessary to fix them.

An easy way to fix gouges is to stain and seal them as this would hide them under the color, and fill them up with a protective coating to keep them safe from any further damage from external factors which might harm them.

The process is quite simple and does not require a lot of time or effort; hence, you can easily get it done in an hour if you follow the procedure mentioned below.

What Are Gouges In Hardwood Floors?

Gouges are small scratches or dents on the hardwood floors. They are small areas where the wooden surface is either stripped off partially or damaged in a condition that is visible to the naked eye.

Gouges can start from 2 inches and go up to 5 inches in length, depending on the type of damage the floors have been receiving.

Therefore, they can seriously ruin the appearance of your hardwood floors and make them look bad. Besides, if the gouges are in the center of the floors, they can stain the room’s appearance.

Hence, it becomes important to fix them and make them less visible so the integrity of the floors remains intact.

However, many homeowners are unaware of suitable ways to achieve these goals, and their first response to such a situation is to either replace the plank or refinish a single entire plank if the floor is not finished. However, there are many other things you can do.

How To Fix Gouges In Hardwood Floors?

Fixing gouges in hardwood floors is a fairly simple task that can be done by staining or refinishing a particular area. This can fill the gap inside the gouge and make the surface even with the rest of the floor.

Moreover, the stain can restore the color while the finish can protect the area from any further damage which might be able to ruin your planks.

Below is a detailed process of how the repairing method works.

Apply Stain

One of the biggest things distinguishing a gouge on a hardwood floor is the color difference. It might not be as easy to pick up the depth due to the texture and grain of the wood and the darker colors.

However, discoloration or a different color can cause the human eye to delete the gouge immediately.

This can highly stain the reputation of your hardwood floor, and if the gouge is big or too deep, it can also bring down the overall value of the floors.

Hence, a suitable solution is to apply wood stain on the surface to ensure it does not stand out completely and gets hidden under the colors.

While staining the entire floor is not necessary here, you can use the stain in a very small amount to cover the area which is damaged.

It is always recommended to keep the extra stains and sealants stored after you’ve completed the process, as they come in handy in such situations.

Depending upon the size of the gouge, you will choose the right type of tool to apply the stain on the small surface.

If the area is too small, you can use a cotton bud to apply the stain gently and fill in the surface of the gouge.

However, if the gouge is relatively bigger or wider, you can use a brush to apply it on the surface. A 2-inch wide brush will be more than enough to cater to such surfaces.

In addition, there can be occurrences where the damaged area is not wide or long but deep. In such situations, you must use a round-tip paintbrush to apply the stain into the hole and fill it up.

Another noteworthy point is that the stain should be the same color as the one used on the floors; if you use a different-colored stain, you will only highlight the gouges even more than before.

This can result in a complete failure and an absurd look on your hardwood floors. Hence, make sure to use the right color palette for your floors.

Use A Sealant

Although a stain is good enough to hide the gouge in the surface of the wood with the help of colors, it can’t provide optimum protection to the damaged area of the wood and can result in further damage to the area through various factors.

This can lead to the entire plank slowly becoming damaged and requiring a replacement, which can be quite costly, especially if your hardwood floors are finished.

Hence, it is recommended that the damaged area on the floor should be finished. You can use polyurethane, wax finish, or anything else you’ve used previously on your hardwood floors.

However, make sure not to use a different type of finish as it won’t achieve the same level of adhesion with the existing coat and can get peeled off after some time.

If you think the coat will not stick properly or the manufacturer does not recommend additional coats, there is a solution.

You can use a chemical bonding agent, allowing for proper adhesion of both coats and making a suitable protection layer on top of the gouge.

Applying the finish is very simple, as you can do it with a putty knife or simply pour it on the surface if it is a liquid.

Though you would need to give it some time to dry, it would surely be easy to apply as the targeted area is very small compared to the entire floor.

If you use a chemical bonding agent, make sure not to pour it in the gouge as it is made for the finishes and not the wooden surface.

Pouring it directly on the wood might cause further damage to your hardwood floors. Therefore, you must use either a dropper or something similar to pour the bonding agent on the outskirts of the gouge.

Then, when you apply the stain, you should pour some directly on the area where the liquid was poured so a top cover is established, which does not harm the wood and protects the damaged area.

You can apply the sealant or finish even without the stain if you don’t want to stain the area or don’t remember the right color palette.

Furthermore, if you think the floors are a little dull at the point of repair, you can try giving them a little buff with the microfiber cloth to sustain the shine.

How Can I Make My Wood Floors Look New Again?

The best way to make your hardwood floors appear as good as new again is to refinish their floors. Refinishing is the perfect restoration process for hardwood floors with almost all types of damage.

It involves stripping the existing finish, sanding the floors, staining them if necessary, and finishing them again to establish the protective layer.

While the old layer of finish is removed as it is worn out, the floors are sanded to make the grain finer and remove any scratches or scuff marks from the surface.

The saddening process also makes the wood look newer and fresher as a new layer of wood appears underneath.

Furthermore, the staining process restores or gives extra color to the wood and makes it appear richer and fuller.

Lastly, the new finish coat is smooth and clean, free from all the scratches and weariness of the previous one.

This makes the floors as good as new and improves their overall appeal and appearance by a significant factor.

Does Vinegar And Olive Oil Fix Wood Scratches?

Vinegar and olive oil are effective ways to remove wood scratches on unfinished hardwood floors.

Vinegar is an excellent cleanser of wood and with its acidic properties, it can refresh the grain of the wood without damaging it.

Olive oil, on the other hand, has natural moistening and sealing abilities which can help it to lock in necessary moisture in the wood’s surface and also give a protective layer to the surface of the wood.

Can I Restore A Hardwood Floor Without Sanding?

There are many easy ways to restore a hardwood floor without sanding. One of them is chemical abrasion using a chemical abrasion kit.

The kit involves various products, from varnish strippers, and wood polishes, to sealants and more. It is a complete package if you do not want to get your hardwood floors sanded and still want to restore them to their original look.

Final Words

The best advice would be to prevent the occurrence of gouges in hardwood floors as whatever you may do, you won’t be able to make the hardwood surface completely fine from that area.

However, if by accident a gouge is formed on the surface, you can use the method above to fix that and ensure that it doesn’t stand out from the rest of your hardwood floors.

You can only seal the wood to cover the area and protect it from further dangers, but it is recommended that you apply the stain as well.

This will allow you to give the hardwood floors an even look and prevent the gouge from becoming noticeable.

Try getting the closest color of stain if you can’t find the exact one. Therefore, you can use the guide mentioned above to ensure that the gouges in hardwood floors are fixed properly.