Carpentry and Woodworking - Advice for scuffed hardwood flooring?

Not sure where this topic belongs, so I put it here.

I'm prepping my home for sale, and have several nasty scuffs on my oak flooring. They're NOT deep scratches, and haven't penetrated through the polyurethane. But they're white "rub" marks made by moving sofas around, etc. The poly is scuffed; it's not a residue like a shoe might leave on the floor.

Any advice for getting rid of these marks? I've tried a vigorous mopping, but once the floor dried, the marks reappeared. My next step was going to be Murphy's Oil Soap or something like that, but I don't know if that's a waste of time.

Refinishing or re-coating the floor isn't an option - I just don't have time, nor do I want to spend a lot of money on this.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

~HH

I love it when people ask for a solution to a problem but want the solution to be zero cost and time. :rolleyes:

Those scuff marks can be either damage to the poly surface or something that has adhered to the poly (shoe heel rubber, etc). Either way, the problem can be fixed by screening the floor and maybe adding a coat of poly.

Any floor finishing company can do it, but it can't be done for zero $$ or time.

I love it when people ask for a solution to a problem but want the solution to be zero cost and time. :rolleyes:

Those scuff marks can be either damage to the poly surface or something that has adhered to the poly (shoe heel rubber, etc). Either way, the problem can be fixed by screening the floor and maybe adding a coat of poly.

Any floor finishing company can do it, but it can't be done for zero $$ or time.

C'mon man. Please gimme a break.

I used to refinish hardwood for a living, and I know exactly what's involved in either re-coating or a complete scraping. My entire house is hardwood floors, and quite frankly, they need to be refinished (not just a coating). But there's no way I'm spending a couple grand to get them done only to have new owners lay down carpet. And a simple re-coat is pointless also, as there are areas that really need to be refinished completely. It won't increase the value of my home enough to justify the cost and hassle.

All I need to do is minimize these marks. It's a scuff to the poly, not residue.

All I am looking for is a possible quick fix solution to make it look a little better.

If you've got any ideas about that (besides chastising me for not wanting to waste my money on a house I'm selling), I'd love to hear them.

Thanx

~HH

All I need to do is minimize these marks. It's a scuff to the poly, not residue.

Wouldn't the easy way be to touch up the polyurethane? It would seem to me that your experience as a professional in the industry would enable you to do this easily. Couldn't you just mask the area and repair it from there?

Of course it there are areas that need refinishing completely, why worry about some scratches? You could just let the negotiations proceed over the matter of the whole floor. Maybe area rugs will go on sale soon.

Hope this helps.

Wouldn't the easy way be to touch up the polyurethane? It would seem to me that your experience as a professional in the industry would enable you to do this easily. Couldn't you just mask the area and repair it from there?



Well, the problem with this solution is that the scuffs are several feet in length (from moving sofas) and go across the boards and grain. Any mask/touchup operation would be more obvious than the scuffs themselves.

I may just try to dilute some poly down to water-like consistency, and use a towel to very lightly coat only the scuffs. Perhaps this will diminish the marks without creating a very shiny, new-looking area of the floor.

I'll post my results for future reference.

~HH

Not to resurrect waht might be considered a dead thread already, but I said I would update, and I just fixed these scuffs rather simply.

I simply sanded the area with 220 grit paper until the scuffs disappeared, and then lightly "washed" the area with about a 50/50 mix of polyurethane and mineral spirits (basically diluted poly).

The sanding blended the scuffs with the surrounding surface, and applying the dilute poly with a paper towel prevented the "new" area from looking "too new" and being obvious. "Washing" the area with dilute poly allowed it to blend nicely with the existing somewhat-worn flooring.

Maybe this technique will help someone else in the future.

~HH

Thanks. It is always helpful to hear about what works.