A Guide To Repairing Hardwood Floors

Nothing quite compares to the visual impact of a beautifully maintained wooden timber floor, however when it comes to keeping them in tip-top condition, it’s sometimes difficult to know if and when you can attempt the job yourself.  

Wooden floors can be prone to pesky scratches and scuffs, and even the hardiest of floors are not immune to stains and squeaks. But there are a number of simple DIY methods that can help you prolong both the life and lustre of your wooden floors.

Here are our top easy-to-tackle tips for repairing hardwood floors.

Determine what type of wood your floor is and whether it’s been coated

The first step towards repairing wooden floors is to work out whether your floors are laminate or real wood. Wooden flooring can be made from a number of different materials from traditional hardwoods and laminated timbers to bamboo and engineered materials, and the methods used to repair them can be quite different.

You’ll also need to determine whether your wooden floor has a coating or not. Different coatings on wooden floors not only determine the look and feel of your flooring, they also determine what maintenance method works best with the surface.

Deal with scuffs

Next up on your list of hardwood floor maintenance is assessing the amount of damage you’ve got to deal with. Scuff marks are part of the normal ‘wear and tear’ your floors will undoubtedly face, however can be easily rubbed off with a cleaning agent designed for the type of wooden floors you have.

Fix creaking and squeaking with a shim, a few screws!

Harsh weather conditions including cold, dry winters can wreak havoc on wooden floorboards, sometimes leading to a symphony of creaks and squeaks! However, if you have access to the underside of the floor, have somebody walk on the floor above you and determine where the squeak starts. Insert a thin wedge of wood (often called a shim) coated with a little wood glue between the joist and the subfloor, which should reduce the bounce in the floor that’s causing the squeak.

Creaking is sometimes caused by the subfloor becoming detached from your finished flooring. You’ll need access to the underside of the floor for this hardwood floor repair, which will require you to reattach the two floors with a few screws. However, make sure the screws are short enough that they don’t penetrate the finished floor above!

Is your DIY strategy just not working for you?

Unfortunately some hardwood floor restoration jobs are just too complicated to attempt yourself. Timber floors extensively damaged by water or deep gouges often can’t be remedied by ‘quick fix’ options, however, that doesn’t mean you need an entire floor replacement either.

Our professional team have a wealth of experience in working with timber flooring, and will not only restore new life into your timber floors but into your entire home! 

Tired of covering up those scuffs and scratches with strategically placed floor rugs? Contact the experts at Brisbanes Finest Floors today on 0411 220 488.