Expert: Jamie Yocono - 3/1/2009

Question
I pushed a cabinet across our wide board pine floor without realizing that a nail was exposed.  I now have a serious scratch on the floor, about 4" across a board and down the length of the board.  Is there anything I can do to make the scratch less evident?  Thank you.

Answer
Frances,

Funny you asked this question, I just did a small repair at my mom's home for a similar problem.

There are two ways you can fix this problem - the right way, which is somewhat labor intensive, and the easy way, which is... well... easy.

The right way would be to sand that scratch out. The bad part is - when you refinish the area where you've sanded, it's possible that the newly finished area might not match the rest of the floor. So it could look worse! It really depends on what finish is on your floor, and if the wood is stained, or it's a clear finish. Staining obviously adds another layer of difficulty to this repair.

I don't know if your wood is figured or not, but if there is a lot of pattern in the wood grain, you might be OK just filling that scratch with a putty stick. This is basically like a big crayon, and you can buy a putty stick to match the color of your wood. You basically rub the putty stick over the scratch, so that the putty enters (and colors over) the scratch. It's easy to do, but you have to make sure after you fill the scratch, you wipe off the excess putty. Wiping it off will take a little effort. Use a nice soft cloth, an rub the heck out of it, to polish it a bit.   You can buy a putty stick in the paint department  of any hardware store.

One of these two methods will pretty much hide that scratch. It just depends on you how much work you want to put into it. I know I used a putty stick on my mom's oak flooring, and you can't even see the scratch any more. I would start with that remedy, and if you're not satisfied, then think about stripping and sanding the area for a proper repair. Just know that refinishing the floor is a lot of work, and it may not match.

Good luck, I hope this helps. Write back if you have more questions.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com