Asked on Aug 12, 2016

How to get rid of dog scratches on wood floor?

Louise
by Louise
Had a dog over & he made scratches on my wood varnished floor. They do not look deep. Any ideas of how to get rid of them...do not want to sand or varnish again! Thank-you
Not a great picture cause the sun is not shining on the floors today. But there are many scratches throughout my family room floor!
  36 answers
  • Marian Librant Marian Librant on Aug 12, 2016
    Try rubbing a walnut over them. Use only the inside of the nut not the shell.
  • Valerie Valerie on Aug 12, 2016
    Old English Scratch cover. Covers the scratch and conditions and it can be used on any wood
  • Carole Carole on Aug 13, 2016
    Hi Louise, if the dog scratched the varnish (and didn't get to scratch the wood beneath the varnish) a specific floor cleaning product formula for varnished floors, made to address this type of problems will do the job, I personally use various products from Starwax, must be there where you live. There is a specific product that acts as a sealer (one for ceramics/tiles etc.. and another one for wooden floors) but it is NOT a sealer (no smells, no solvants etc..) it is to applied on clean floors, twice with an hour or so drying time in between, and it will last for about one year, making cleaning smoother and easier and adding shine. Best is, it does not make the floors slippery. I have ugly, old, scratched and cracked ceramic tiles in my kitchen-living room (and no option for new floors right now) and it solves the problem for me (and my 2 German Shepherds). It stays on OK if you don't use boiling water to wash floors, else it fades away faster. (I use Castile soap and warm water). The brand says you must first deep-clean the floors with their product X for deep-cleaning and keep up the results by using their cleaning product every 2 weeks, but I never did it. I just use the floor renewer. I apply it with a clean microfiber floor mop (no dirt or human or dog hair or whatever, as this product else will made it stick/seal it to the floor). Applying it is not different from washing floors. I just make sure to work methodically and slowly and apply it evenly. You can see here in English: http://uk.starwax.eu/ If not that brand, surely there must be a similar brand/product where you live...
  • Carole Carole on Aug 13, 2016
    ...by the way, you can see my floor on the photo (here ceramics). In the bedrooms I have wooden, varnished (and quite used) floors, the wooden floor version does an excellent job, it lasts longer on wooden floors than on ceramics. I tried re-varnishing and used a semi-mat product but it was tedious work and did not give a good result. the wooden floor "renewer" is better, even if you have to reapply every year, but a mentioned it takes no longer than the time required to wash floors.
  • RichandTammy Whiteside RichandTammy Whiteside on Aug 13, 2016
    You scratches are barely noticeable. I would use Dutch Glow Scratch Aide. I have used this on really deep gouges and it did a pretty darned good job of concealing them until I can get around to refinishing... It appears to take a little bit of varnish from both sides of the scratch to "fill in" the area. You'll be quite pleased and this product can be found for under $10 at walmart or online.
  • Thomas Gear Thomas Gear on Aug 13, 2016
    cut dogs nails
    • See 2 previous
    • Kathy Kathy on Aug 14, 2016
      Thank you for adopting and thanks for the name of the book. I'll have to check it out. For the record, I don't care about the gouges in the floor. I'll replace it at some point in time. Life is to short to worry about the little stuff. Adopt. don't shop!
  • Johnchip Johnchip on Aug 13, 2016
    I had to scroll back a couple times to find your problem. You sure have dainty doggies, not my boxers. They "have just scratched the surface". You can buff or wax it out. But your biggest issue is what is to come. How do you stop it. Do you make them wear booties or fly? They will make paths, so you will have to find a way to cover those areas so this is not a constant issue in your future.
  • Diana R Diana R on Aug 13, 2016
    I heard you can rub walnut nut meat over the scratch. It will slightly color over the scatch. Doggy boots maybe in the future.
  • William Rust William Rust on Aug 13, 2016
    Get some"NUTS" Walnut better, but pecan works too.. Rub vigorously into scratched.... Something to do with the oil's within.. Probably find several links under"Life Hacks" YouTube.... Did wonders' with my antique buffet...
  • Isabella Lisio Isabella Lisio on Aug 13, 2016
    There. Is a. A product called quick shine , it basically is a wax For wood floors.
  • Bre1943597 Bre1943597 on Aug 13, 2016
    Dogs need to be in the yard!
  • We just rubbed a little oil based stain into the light scratches we had on our wood floor and the scratches disappeared. I plan to rub a little varnish over these areas ( that matches the shine of the floor finish that is there now.) I will test the varnish on a piece of scrape flooring first to make sure the shine matches correctly. If the scratches keep occurring maybe try an area rug in that location. But to some extent scratches are a part of normal wear in hardwood floors and add character to the floor. Just do not wet or damp mop the area until you get some finish on it or the grain will raise. Try to keep the dogs claws clipped more frequently. We trim our dogs claws and only take off a very small part to keep from nicking the vein. You have to live in the house and enjoy it so do not stress over every small thing; take care of issues right away and the problems never get too big to deal with.
  • Linda Johnson Linda Johnson on Aug 13, 2016
    I like Jennifer's idea. We make ours shine (after fixing any scratches) with Orange Glo.
  • Sophia,M.,McConnery Sophia,M.,McConnery on Aug 13, 2016
    Any heated oil will bring this back up.Place it on a clothe,leave it on the spots for about 5-10 minutes,then just rub the rest in.
  • WAYNE WAYNE on Aug 13, 2016
    THE DOG HAS SCRATCHED ACROSS THE GRAIN [SHOWS UP MORE] YOUR TURN NOW GET SOME SANDPAPER [REAL NAME GLASS PAPER] AND SAND [WORK WITH THE GRAIN] ALONG THE GRAIN IT WILL GET RID OF SCRATCH EVENTUALLY THEN OIL STAIN OR WHATEVER TO FINISH YOU CAN ALSO USE A CABINET MAKERS SCRAPER
  • Kari Roberts Kari Roberts on Aug 13, 2016
    Rub a walnut into the scratches.
  • Elaine Elaine on Aug 13, 2016
    I was going to suggest Kari Roberts' idea of rubbing a bit of (shelled, of course!) walnut over the tiny scratches. I also have just rubbed a bit of oil into the scratches, let sit for a while then repeat if necessary.. If neither of those satisfy you, I've dabbed a Sharpie marker (matching color as close as possible) following the line of the scratch then wiped with a Kleenex so the ink only stays on the "scratch line". I keep about 3 different browns plus a black on hand for touching up marks on the floor plus my wooden furniture.
  • Sue King Sue King on Aug 13, 2016
    mineral oil or baby oil
  • Michele Michele on Aug 13, 2016
    Look for wax pencils at any home improvement store (Lowe's, Home Depot) or any where hard wood is sold. Pick the closest match to your floor and rub over scratches. Wax will fill in scratches. One pencil will last a while.
  • Jayne Zabala Jayne Zabala on Aug 13, 2016
    You could try cleaning your floor with tea / steep 4 bags of black tea or regular tea - cool to room temp. Soak your cloth or sponge in tea, wring out and clean floor. I periodically rinse out yet cloth or sponge and re-soak in tea, wring out and continue. Another choice is mix 3/4 cup olive oil( or any vegetable oil) and 1/4 cup vinegar (white or cider)z. Wipe down floor and the scratches should disappear. This works on any wood surface.
  • Jackie Gfeller Jackie Gfeller on Aug 13, 2016
    Walmart carries a product called Quick Shine. It brings new life to wood floors. It brought my wood floors back to life after a major dulling from construction. I swear by it!
  • Carole Carole on Aug 14, 2016
    Hello all, just a reminder, she explains her floors are varnished, but she did not say whether the dog scratched the varnish or the varnish all the way down to and into the wood. Waxing or oiling (walnut) the topcoat varnish will not help, as oily substance will not fill in the scratch and will not stick to the nearby varnish. It will help only if he dog scratched all the down to and into the wood, but it will leave a hole, where the varnish was scratched away and this will shepending on the light, further the oil/wax-treated wood will make it difficult to mend later with re-varnishing and will require sanding. Wax pencils/walnuts or the like are great on wood that has NOT been varnished and/or if re-varnishing will not be needed or thorough sanding is not necessary when the time will come to re-varnish (and that is very rarely the case).
  • Crystal Meyer Griffith Crystal Meyer Griffith on Aug 14, 2016
    Since floors are varnished, if the scratches do not go all the way thru to wood, you can take a small artist's brush and paint some varnish back into the scratches.It will take a bit of the varnish to fill the scratch if there is actually a trough gouged in it. You are simply replacing the varnish that was dug out by the claws.
  • Julie Johnson Julie Johnson on Aug 15, 2016
    Believe it or not, simply rubbing with a walnut or pecan will do wonders. It is the oil in the nut that does the job.
  • Ricki forman Ricki forman on Aug 15, 2016
    Try a product called Old English in the color of your choice. It's a furniture polish and works great
  • Connie smith Connie smith on Aug 15, 2016
    Mop & Glo.
  • Bob Bonvillian Bob Bonvillian on Aug 15, 2016
    If not to deep the old English product works pretty good .
  • Louise Louise on Aug 28, 2016
    Thank-you everyone for all your suggestions. The best for me was WEIMAN High Traffic Hardwood Polish & Restorer. It is a professional strength scratch removal & protection!
    • Kim Kim on Aug 21, 2019

      I have a lot of dog scratches all over my wood floor. Will this product work for so many? How do you use it?

  • Carole Carole on Aug 29, 2016
    Interesting Louise, thank you for giving feed-back. Just curious: is it water-based or solvent-based (did you clean your tools in water?). Did you have to push aside all your furniture or was it OK to repair here and there?
    • Louise Louise on Aug 29, 2016
      Hello Carole! It contains water, polymer finish, polymer scuff removal agent, & surfactant. It is basically a rejuvenater .....used a soft cloth on the scratches & then squeezed the product & did the whole floor with a dry mop.
  • Jason Ranjitkumar Jason Ranjitkumar on Sep 02, 2019

    I have brand new hardwood oak stairs. After a week of my dog walking up and down the stairs, there are a few hairline marks scattered throughout. It's so saddening to see, it never crossed my mind that it would happen. Having had carpet stairs in the previous house nor any wood, I had no issues there. I fear that if my new staircase is like this just after a week, it's going to get really ugly month after month, year after year. Are there no products to protect wood from being scratched without changing the colour of the stairs?

  • Dee Dee on May 20, 2020

    This product from Amazon works well, or try Old English scratch cover.

    Wood Repair Kit, 2019 Newest Instant Fix Wood Scratch Remover Set Fast Magical Acting Wood Scratch Spray Cover Furniture Touch Up Restorer for Wooden Floor, Table, Desk, Bed, Cabinet (120ML,Towel)


  • Brandi Brandi on Dec 29, 2021

    Buff it

  • Deb K Deb K 7 days ago

    Hi Louise, hope this helps you.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnUXlRyedtU&t=42s