Fixing a gouge in a wooden floor

Joined
1 Nov 2018
Messages
18
Reaction score
0
Country
United Kingdom
I've got a couple of scratches and gouges in my wooden floor (believe it's pine) that I need to try to patch up as best I can. I'm getting the flat ready to rent out and so far the floor repair companies have mostly said nothing can be done other than sanding the whole room back and refinishing it, which I really don't think is worth the cost for a rental property. In one case that they could do some spot fixes that wouldn't look as good, but they have a minimum day rate for a call out that's nearly as much as doing the whole room.

So all I really want to do is minimise how obvious the damage is, eg by just staining the offending bits the same colour as the rest of the floor. So looking for any tips on what the best approach would be or what products could be used. A picture of the worst one is attached (approx 3-4 cm across)

Appreciate it's not gonna end up looking good as new or anything, really am just looking for the least worst option!
 

Attachments

  • 20211128_104931.jpg
    20211128_104931.jpg
    195.2 KB · Views: 92
Sponsored Links
Get some 2 part wood repair epoxy, sand it down by hand to be flush with the rest of the floor. Stain it.
 
It is only two floorboards. They can be sanded back without damaging the neighbouring ones. That is about an hour of sanding though, using a combination of a random orbital sander and orbital sander. I have done it loads of times. Unfortunately, it might be difficult to convince someone to turn up for such a small job.
 
Sponsored Links
Looks like a dark stain has been used on the rest, something like Jacobean oak (?), so fill with a dark coloured filler where needed then sand in and restain (spirit-based stain, not water based) to match the existing, You will need a flexible stopping knife to do the mixing and filling, but a cheap decorator's plastic one at 1-1/2 to 2in wide is probably going to suffice - just sand the sharp corners off it to a 2 or 3mm radius, to make the 'tramlines' left by the ends of the knife less obvious - and apply filler in thin coats rather than a big thick gob which will be difficult to sand out. If you use a 2-pack filler (which are harder and more wear resistant) you will need some form of machine sander to flatten the surface before staining as 2-pack is nearly impossible to hand sand, at least in the course of one lifetime. Wood fillers generally won't take stain at all and even the stainable ones are far from perfect, hence the need to use a dark filler to start with. Also, ignore any advice anyone gives you to use sanding dust and PVA glue as that always telegraphs through. Note that this is not a perfect repair and I am assuming that the gouges are deep enough not to be a 10 minute sanding job with a belt sander

There are a number of firms who sell timber repair kits, most notably Konig, but for a basic floor repair using their products may well be overkill, not to mention expensive
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Looks like a dark stain has been used on the rest, something like Jacobean oak (?), so fill with a dark coloured filler where needed then sand in and restain (spirit-based stain, not water based) to match the existing, You will need a flexible stopping knife to do the mixing and filling, but a cheap decorator's plastic one at 1-1/2 to 2in wide is probably going to suffice - just sand the sharp corners off it to a 2 or 3mm radius, to make the 'tramlines' left by the ends of the knife less obvious - and apply filler in thin coats rather than a big thick gob which will be difficult to sand out. If you use a 2-pack filler (which are harder and more wear resistant) you will need some form of machine sander to flatten the surface before staining as 2-pack is nearly impossible to hand sand, at least in the course of one lifetime. Wood fillers generally won't take stain at all and even the stainable ones are far from perfect, hence the need to use a dark filler to start with. Also, ignore any advice anyone gives you to use sanding dust and PVA glue as that always telegraphs through. Note that this is not a perfect repair and I am assuming that the gouges are deep enough not to be a 10 minute sanding job with a belt sander

There are a number of firms who sell timber repair kits, most notably Konig, but for a basic floor repair using their products may well be overkill, not to mention expensive

Thanks for this, and to everyone else who's responded so far.

So you're saying to sand it, fill it, then restain but that filler won't take stain - so is the point there that you're just restaining the surrounding wood and that the filler effectively stays the same as when it goes in?

And if I used a pre-mixed filler rather than two part would I be able to hand sand it?
 
As with any refinishing job you degrease and sand to clean the area, which will also remove some of the stain from the good area next to the damaged area, then fill the damaged area with a dark coloured filler (as near as you can practically get to the original dark floor colour), sand the filler flush, and restain the filled area AND the sanded area. The filler will not take much stain, but providing you use a spirit stain (as opposed to a water stain which tend to "ball" on impervious surfaces) it will take a little, so if you use a dark filler it will get slightly darker, but only slightly, whereas the adjoining wood will take a lot. It will be necessary to give the area a coat of lacquer for wear protection as well. Obviously with materials like stains try a small dab on an inconspicuous area first to see what the end result will look like before going mad

If you use a pre-mixed filler, which are all quite soft and friable, it will possibly wear out in a short time. Unlike furniture, floors are often subject to a lot of wear.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
As with any refinishing job you degrease and sand to clean the area, which will also remove some of the stain from the good area next to the damaged area, then fill the damaged area with a dark coloured filler (as near as you can practically get to the original dark floor colour), sand the filler flush, and restain the filled area AND the sanded area. The filler will not take much stain, but providing you use a spirit stain (as opposed to a water stain which tend to "ball" on impervious surfaces) it will take a little, so if you use a dark filler it will get slightly darker, but only slightly, whereas the adjoining wood will take a lot. It will be necessary to give the area a coat of lacquer for wear protection as well. Obviously with materials like stains try a small dab on an inconspicuous area first to see what the end result will look like before going mad

If you use a pre-mixed filler, which are all quite soft and friable, it will possibly wear out in a short time. Unlike furniture, floors are often subject to a lot of wear.

Ok that all makes sense, thanks for the very comprehensive advice(y)
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top