Having a dog and a few rowdy cats running around in your home means dealing with pet scratches on your floors all the time. Even rabbits and ferrets can cause noticeable scratches in our homes. This is especially a problem for those people whose pets hate sitting still and getting their nails (or claws!) trimmed.
Most scratches by our furry little friends are easily repaired as they barely run deep, but some require a little more effort and time. Here are a few ways how you can repair pet scratches in your home and keep your floors looking pristine.
Small Scratches
For small scratches that barely go deep into the wood, you can either use a wood stain or a homemade mix like apple cider and olive oil for the repairs. Let’s talk about the DIY homemade mixture first.
First, you need to clean the affected area you will work on. Use a damp cloth or a hardwood cleaner to remove all the dirt or debris in the scratches. Mix a ¾ cup of apple cider with ¼ cup of olive oil and simply apply it to the scratched areas. Buff the area using a clean cloth and let it dry. Just following these steps will improve the look of your flooring greatly.
Use a wood stain for scratches that might be a bit more prominent. There are multiple types of wood stains available, and you need to decide whether your floors require water or oil-based stains. Again, first, clean the affected area before you get to work. You just have to fill in the scratches with the wood stain you have purchased and let it dry. Only apply a single coat and let it dry. If needed, apply another layer. Applying a new coat is much easier than removing a wood stain coat. Once it’s dry, you can add shellac or polyurethane to match your floor’s finish.
Bigger, Deeper Scratches
For bigger and deeper scratches, you need a wood filler. Wood fillers aren’t very expensive and are easily available in hardware stores. Just shop around for a wood filler that matches your floors; you can even mix up a few colors to make it match as well as possible.
As always, first, clean the affected area with a damp cloth or hardwood cleaner. After which, you simply have to fill in the scratches with the filler and let it dry. Once it has dried, you can use sandpaper or a tail scraper to sand, smooth out the finish, and remove any access filler you might have applied.
If your filler doesn’t match well with the flooring you have, you can use another clean rag and add a matching wood stain on top. And just like before, if still necessary, add a coat of shellac or polyurethane to match the finish!
Final Thoughts On How To Repair Pet Scratches
You can have good flooring while also having pets. Just try and keep their little paws and claws trimmed and maybe train them not to scratch up your floors! For cats, maybe provide them with a scratching post (cats love scratching posts) to keep their scratches away from other furniture or floors.
