A Guide to Different Types of Hardwood Floor Repair

Of all the areas of the house, it’s the floors that probably receive the most punishment: constant wear from the constant applying of several people’s worth of weight, not to mention tear that can be brought about by excessively heavy footwear, can wreak havoc on these surfaces. Hardwood floors are probably the worst victims, due to the number of problems that can plague wood as a surface: everything from changes in moisture and temperature to actual wood damage can strike. Thus, it is important that every owner of a home with wooden floors to know at least a thing or two about hardwood floor repair, in order to avoid the disaster of ruined wooden floors. Here, then, are a few common problems with hardwood floors, and how to manage them.

Scratches – usually caused by long periods of everyday wear and tear. Repairing scratches is the easiest type of repair to pull off. There are color sticks and urethane touch-up kits readily available for these problems, which are caused most often by long periods of everyday wear and tear.

Separations – usually caused by dry surroundings, which cause the boards to shrink, widening gaps between them in the process. Slight climate control, managed by introducing some amount of moisture indirectly into the floor’s area, is a simple yet effective type of hardwood floor repair for this sort of problem.

Loose planks – can be caused by any number of reasons. Minor problems of this sort are easily remedied with a few well-placed nails on the needed planks. Larger ones, though, especially ones where the planks become too loose for a few nails, may warrant immediate replacement of the same type of wood.

Split wood – these can easily be fixed with the help of a hammer and specialized angled nails, which are available in specialty hardware stores, for holding adjacent planks together. Large splits, though, may need replacement planks.

Stained wood – this is one of the more difficult problems to solve due to the protective coatings you need to remove from and replace on the wood, but, fortunately, it is not an impossible one. The most effective method of fixing this would be to sand the affected area well, apply a mixture of acid crystals dissolved in water to the area, let the mixture sit for an hour or so (or repeating this process until the stain disappears), rinse the area and let it dry, then to add an oil-based stain on it until it matches its surroundings.

There are many more problems out there, for the curious do-it-yourself individual: browse the Internet for other hardwood floor repair techniques out there, and be prepared for any sort of design dilemma that might hit your floor. Literally.