The first scratch is always the worst.
Whether your car, your shiny iPhone, or your new hardwood floors, a scratch or gouge can make you feel like the whole thing is ruined.
For a while, a few more marks of “wear and tear” get added in. Then slowly over time you accept that your brand new floor is no longer brand new. It’s been lived on.
“Wear and tear” is an inevitable part of owning a home. Even so, you can protect your wood floor from looking like a gigantic cutting board that has seen too many knives with some simple tricks.
Learn how to keep your floor looking like new with our 3 easy, inexpensive solutions for hardwood floor protection. Let’s get started!
Use walk-off rugs at all entrances
After being outside, your shoes track in all sorts of rocks, dirt and debris that then damages your wood floors. With just a little pressure from walking, a sharp rock embedded in a shoe leaves a noticeable mark.
Our trick: put two rugs at every door to prevent wood floor scratches.
A strong walk off matt or rug on the outside of your entrance allows your guests and family to brush off their shoes before coming inside. Additionally, a second softer rug on the inside catches even more dirt as they enter your home.
Even better – a no shoes rule inside your house.
Put felt protectors on all furniture legs
Chairs, couches, bar stools, coffee tables – people often drag these heavy objects across a floor, leaving scratches and wear patterns over time.
Use felt hardwood floor protectors on your furniture to protect your floors.
Felt protectors are little round disks that attach to the legs of your furniture. Some are peel and stick, others have a small nail to permanently attach them to your furniture’s wooden legs.
You may think that a big stationary piece like a couch won’t need felt protectors.
But, every time you sit down and get up from (or your kids jump on) the couch, the slight movements scratch and wear your floor. Hardwood floor protectors are an inexpensive way to protect your hardwood floor from this every day movement.
Don’t forget to replace these every so often – especially for chairs that get used a lot. Felt protectors are not meant to last forever.
Use wood floor-safe caster wheels on your office chairs
Will an office chair scratch wood floors? They certainly can!
If you use an office chair on your wood floor, you should order replacement caster wheels that are safe for hardwood floors.
Most office chairs come with hard, durable plastic wheels, but can scuff and scratch a wood floor very quickly.
Some people solve this by putting down a plastic mat or rug under their chair. While they do protect from hardwood floor scratches, often these look unsightly or keep your chair from moving smoothly.
If you have an office chair on a hardwood floor, get rid of the rug and glide smoothly across your wood floors with hardwood safe caster wheels. You can find these on Amazon and they fit most chairs.
Bonus: Can a vacuum scratch a wood floor?
It’s always a shame to finish cleaning your floor only to find that you caused another problem. When vacuuming, it’s important to double check that you have it set to the hard floor setting. Never use the beater bar or carpet setting on wood floors. The bar with the extra brush can easily scratch your hardwood floor.
If you’re in the market for a new vacuum, look for one that is hardwood floor safe. Get more tips for how to best clean your wood floor on our cleaning guide.
Download: 3 Ways to Protect Your Floor From Scratches
Can wood floor scratches be repaired?
Sometimes you just can’t live with that ugly scratch staring up at you from your new hardwood floor. Or maybe the office chair on a hardwood floor already did some damage.
We’ve created several videos that show you different techniques for fixing scratches, gouges, and other problems in your wood floors.
Learn how to:
Fix a long white scratch
Fill in a deep gouge
Hide a chipped edge
Cover an open knot
Repair a scratch with wax
If you don’t want to go through all the hassle and expense of having your wood floors re-sanded and re-finished, try one of these techniques out first. It may save you thousands of dollars and help you enjoy your floors even more.
What’s worse than a scratched floor?
One that isn’t being cleaning the right way. Find out if you’re committing any of these 4 cleaning no-no’s in our article, 4 Ways NOT to Clean Your Wood Floors.
It looks like the best option is to have as many rugs and runners as possible. Moving into a new apartment in Downtown Pittsburgh and I hope that the floors are made with modern materials that resist scratches and wear.
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We are the best seller in the U.S. and UK. We will provide a good gift for users from this cool website.
Caleb ~ that was a fantastic article ~ keep it up!!!
Dan Thompson ~ Floors By Tomorrow ~ Denver, Colorado
Thanks, Dan!