Hello, basically there are some variables to this situation. If the wood is a factory finish, you more than likely not be able to sand the plank, and match the stain 100% now you can get close to the stain color, but then you have to figure out what sheen was applied, which varies greatly per manufacturer. What one calls satin, the other calls flat etc. again, you can get close, but it all comes down to what the customer considers acceptable. There are several options, if the wood was a natural solid you can cut out the plank, and get a close match to the species of wood and match stain. If you are as lucky as having an extra plank then you are home free, just replace it. Anything you do to attempt a repair, will still look like a repair, depending on the tradesman you can get it to where its not very noticeable, but if you look for it you will find it. Full replacement would be going too far, if I couldnāt get the match close enough for the customer, then I would go to the next best thing which is to sand and refinish the whole floorā¦ Again, if its possible (solid wood) Yes a lot more work, but definitely less than replacement, and you get a consistent color and finish. Itās all in the eye of the beholder.
Although its very tough to give an opinion without looking at something but Iām happy to give a brief overview.
From the photos and the gentlemanās description of the damage it appears as though only the surface has been damaged. If thatās the case he can sand the damaged area, fill with wood putty and scrape off excess, allow wood putty to dry, then sand the entire area, and stain with exact stain of wood (Iām not sure what the stain is).
The second and more expensive option (but definitely the better of the two) is to replace just the damaged plank - the issue here however is depending on how old the plank is and if they were nailed or glued down, the planks in front (or behind) of it will get damaged in the removal process, therefore he may be replacing just a few planks or half of a roomā¦we canāt tell since we canāt see it.
The floor simply needs to be sanded and restained/clear coated. If they can match the color which I suspect is cherry, they may be able to simply spot repair the floor but they must mask off the area around it or it will show a dark ring.
For the small spot that is circled they just need to sand and re-finish that area. It wonāt be perfect but if they are happy with it then they can call it completed. The images look like there might be larger areas of re-finishing needed (around that circle the colors fade) but that may be the photo.
Feel free to email these to me. I donāt usually have time to go looking for questions but I am happy to answer them this way!
Obviously it is difficult to accurately ascertain the exact type of flooring product and the finished used on it. That being said it appears to be a factory prefinished product which complicates matters to some extent. The most cost effective repair method is to utilize readily available stain pens and spot treat the area. Once the desired color match has been achieved apply the appropriate sheen floor finish. Do not tape the repair area as it will leave a hard edge that is more obvious than a feathered approach. Once the topical finish has cured it could be buffed to dull it to match the surrounding finish.
If the homeowner is more industrious I would recommend carefully hand scraping the entire length and width of the one affected plank. Re-stain to match the existing floor and apply the appropriate floor finish. In this scenario I would tape off the affected plank to limit the repair to the single piece. This approach would definitely require the skills of a trained professional.
If the homeowner has limited skills in this arena I would strongly urge them to enlist the aid of a furniture repair specialist. They have the training, tools, materials and temperament to make a seamless repair for a negligible expense. Most floor installers are just that and their repair capabilities are sadly lacking which is why he/she will continue to get inane suggestions such as tearing out the entire floor to repair an incidental blemish.
I hope this has been of some help. If the homeowner wishes they may contact me directly for additional information and resources.
he should rent a commercial floor sander and sand a large area of the floor so that when he re-applies stain it will blend in better to the remaining flooring. from the photos, it does not look like anything needs to be replaced. This might be a good time for the home owner to sand the ENTIRE floor if it was not re-finished in a while and then it would look all brand new.
Replacing the whole floor is going to get expensive quickly. So before I replaced the floor I would lightly sand down the area thatās damaged with a fine sanding sponge. If there are any left over floor boards take one into a Sherwin Williams and have them custom match some stain. Then after I stained the area go over it with some satin Polyurethane. Iām not saying this will look perfect, but certainly the most cost effective solution.
The answer will vary depending on the material used for the floor. One route for solid hardwood and another route for engineered or laminate.
Judging by the photosā¦the floor appears to be engineered or laminate in which case that piece would need to be replaced.
The homeowners best bet would be to return to where the floor was purchased and ask to consult with a floor covering specialist.
If I am being deceived by the photos and it is indeed solid hardwood then email me again and I will give you further I information.
The damage to the hardwood floor is minimal and can be repaired to match the existing plank of hardwood flooring.
Many of the manufactures of hardwood
Flooring , such as Bruce, Shaw and Mirage utilize touch up wax based coloring sticks which are used to cover , blend in imperfections or in this case small repairs.
I would suggest contacting the manufacture and speak with thier service tech regarding the repair, nice part about the location of the required repair is the fact that it will blend in nicely with the knot.
It looks like laminate flooring. Iāve repaired several laminate floors for clients the only way is to replace the damaged area with the same flooring. You can still fit the t&g grooves buy folding the new planks together. It is tricky. Because u will be removing at least 4 or 5 planks surrounding the damaged piece to accomplish an even uniform look. Hope this will help, any further questions Iāll be happy to Answer.
Mitch peters Master carpenter
You will need to contact a local hardwood floor refinishing company. They will sand your floors with a professional hardwood floor sander. (These sanders are expensive) then they will apply a stain or leave natural. Then they will apply a clear finish. Expect 2 to 3 days of non access to your floor area.
Hope this has helped.
Hi Claire
Without any more information than was provided the best way to handle this fix would be to replace the damaged board. Hopefully the previous flooring installer told the client to keep some of the extra flooring for an instance like this. We always tell our clients to keep some extra for a just in case scenario. If not, I would first do some leg work and go shopping and try to match the floor. They donāt say how old the flooring is so this may be a challenge, but if they find it they will not only be able to fix the damaged floor but they would also have left over for any future repairs.
If they canāt find a match then they will have to try a patch the existing floor. I would tell this client to find a reputable, licensed and insured flooring contractor in their area to try and match the stain and finish of the existing floor.
We only hire people who do what they do best, meaning donāt hire a
handyman or a just a contractor, they need a flooring contractor that
specializes in that type of flooring.
I hope this was helpful.
You have 220 replies, I do not think you need anymore. Thanks David Brassard Vist: BrassardConstruction.com
The most budget conscious fix is to tape off the boards around the damaged one and lightly sand out the blemish and then match the stain and finish with hardwood flooring urethane or lacquer. If it is engineered wood try not to sand too deep. If you are not comfortable with the finish work most professional painters are very good at matching stain.
To replace the floor is not good advice. Even some engineered flooring can be sanded down and refinished at least once so even to refinish the entire room would cost much less than replacing the whole floor. Hope this was helpful.
Hello Claire that looks like laminate flooring if so they can replace the pad panels.If it is real hardwood they can sand and refinish the 2 bad pieces if you have any other questions please fill free to ask.
I have had success in the past lightly sanding the area and using a gel stain that is compatible with the finish on the existing floor (check with manufacturer or installer) The gel stain allows you to control the color to some degree depending on how long and how much you wipe off. Then use a spray poly or lacquer that will match existing finish. It wont be perfectā¦it is a repair, but in a lot of cases will produce a satisfactory appearance and is less costly and intrusive as far as a total refinish. There are a lot of variablesā¦it depends is the best answer!
It appears that the damage was isolated to a small area. Worst case, the entire floor can be sanded down and re-finished. From the pictures, it appears that it may be possible to just sand out the planks that have the damage. This would be more cost effective, but you will have to be careful to not hit the adjacent planks when sanding. you also have to make sure not to sand too low or the repair will be evident. Then re-finish.
To save time and money for the client. Contact the nearest Home Depot to setup a free in home appointment with franchise NHance wood renewal contractors, or visit www.NHance.com. They will match the stain and finish in record time and not charge an arm and leg. The consultation is free and Iāve had tremendous success referring my clients for this type of repair. Good Luck.
Well what I would do is try to find a stain that matches the floor lightly sand a small area just enough to get the bad spot re stain and when it was dry I would put on a minwax polyurethane. You will need to try to find samples so you get the proper color stain and the right sheen on the polyurethane.
I gotta say I think its funny that this guy had to point out it was a Hookah charcoal that damaged his floor. But, I digress. The way we would fix the floor to like new condition would be to:
Remove and replace that board if necessary (from the owners assessment it might not be necessary).
Remove all base trim in the room the wood floor is located (other option is to add base shoe if he doesnāt already have it).
Tent everything in plastic. Itās going to get messy. Use dustless tools as much as possible
Sand the entire floor.
Re-finish the flooring with his finish of choice (most durable finish is
Swedish finish - also most toxic)
Re-install the base or install new base shoe, paint/stain
Done.