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  1. #1
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    Default Repairing scratches in hardwood floors

    Hi all,

    I have solid Jarrah floorboards throughout my house and was wondering how I can go about fixing scratches? The wife was vacuuming the other day and there must have been a little bit of a build up of dust under the vacuum and managed to scratch the floor (around 3 metres long). The scratch is very fine i.e you can not feel it if you run your finger accross it. The floors were sanded last August with 2 coats of polyurethane so the scratch stands out.

    I have considered wax sticks however I'm just concerned that it may not blend in as well. Would buffing be an option?

    Thanks for any help.

    Cheers,
    Andy.

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  3. #2
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    Are the floorboards scratched or is it just the poly ?

    I’ve used acetone on small fine scratches on a satin finish poly-ed tabletop. I was expecting it to fail and the patches to stand out but it it’s hardly noticeable.

  4. #3
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    Default

    To be honest I'm not sure if it's the poly or the floor .

    What was your process for applying the acetone?


    Thanks.

  5. #4
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    I used a quick light circular motion with a soft cotton cloth balled up to maybe a third of fist size. Wet but not dripping wet. Similar to how I usually apply stains and shellac.

    Afterwards I buffed it “dry” using the same type of action and a dry cotton cloth. Not sure if it really needed that but I thought it best.

    I actually started on a patch that was whitened and heat affected. It was smack in the middle so I had nothing to lose. That seems to work so I moved on to the scratches. The owner tells me some smallish white patches reappeared in the heat affected area after a day or so but the scratches are not noticeable.

  6. #5
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    Default

    Thanks Dabbler. So no preparation on the wood before using the acetone? Just straight on then buff off?

  7. #6
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    No preparation. If it’s poly then acetone will move it.

    If the scratches are deeper than the poly and into the timber then acetone itself won’t solve the problem. If you need to remove a patch of poly to get to the timber, I think it will always look patchy once you fix and re-coat a section.

    If you are lucky like I was, the poly is the only affected bit and maybe a fix is possible without much drama.

  8. #7
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    Will the acetone completely remove the poly? Just weighing up how it will look if I need to refinish the scratched area.

    Thanks.

  9. #8
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    Yes eventually. That’s why I think deep scratches into the timber won’t be fixed this way as it will probably look patchy when re-coated.

    I suppose your scratches are all in exposed areas which means it might be a gamble.

    I am surprised no one else has come along with their own experiences.

  10. #9
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    Good Morning Andy

    Dabbler has given you good advice if the scratch is purely in the poly - the acetone will dissolve the poly, then it will evaporate and the poly will harden again. The trick is to remove the scratch, but not rub too hard and remove all the polyurethane.

    if you get up real close - 300 mm - with a strong light then you should be able to see how deep the scratch is.

    However, if the scratch is into the Jarrah then I am afraid there is little that can be done short of redoing the entire floor - any patch-up will be much more visible than the original scratch.



    fair winds

    Graeme

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