Objects fall, accidents happen… it’s near impossible to keep hardwood floors from suffering minor damage as the years progress. Hardwood floors are built to withstand everyday pressure from our feet, large house pets, and the occasional house party thrown, but sudden accidents often leave hardwood floor owners frantically searching for a way to reverse the mistake.
Nicks and scratches are the usual culprits that wind up leaving hardwood floor owners frustrated, but – believe it or not – burn marks happen as well. Burn marks on hardwood floors are usually the result of ironing clothes on an ironing board, cigarettes, cigars, candles, hot coal from hookah, cooking mishaps, and other culprits that vary in the amount of damage done.
Determining The Damage Done
For a quick and easy way to determine how deep the burn mark is, you can take any utility or pocketknife and gently use the tip of the knife to carefully scrape (with the grain of the wood) away the burned wood. This will give you an idea of how bad the damage is as well as remove some of the char. If you determine the damage looks or seems to be worse than minor, then stop there and seek out a professional who can replace the board. You don’t want to risk ruining your floors any further.
The Sandman
If you decide that the burn mark is in fact minor, then you can begin to work it out yourself. To remove minor burn marks on hardwood floors, you’re going to have to begin sanding the accidental scorch out of your floor. This can be done with sandpaper. 80-120 grit sandpaper should be enough to sand out a minor mark. You may want to look into a sander that can be purchased for a reasonable price at any home improvement store. This will speed up the process greatly… just remember to sand WITH the grain!
Finishing Up
After sanding out all or most of the mark, you are going to have to refinish that part of the wood so that it looks new again. There may still be residual char present, at which point you can use a dry paintbrush to clear any of this away. Next, buy some tung oil. This can also be purchased from any home improvement store. Use a clean towel to apply this oil over the affected area. Wipe away any excess oil with a separate damp cloth. Finally, apply a certified hardwood floor polish that will add the shine back into your floors. We recommend using Bona® products.
Did You Know… ?
Some burn marks actually add a handful of character to a hardwood floor. Before panicking, take a step back and see exactly how the burn mark appears in relation to the rest of the décor in the room. Maybe it doesn’t look as bad as you had initially imagined?
If you liked this article, then view our other post on removing nicks and scratches from hardwood floors!