I had trim put up in my foyer and the man that put it up used a ladder and took the finish off several areas of the floor. I wasn’t here or I would have put something down on the floor.
The floor is oak and the house is about 70 years old. We haven’t done anything to the floors at all since we moved here because they’re in excellent shape but there was a stain put on the floor before we moved here about 12 years ago.
Is there a way to restain the spots? I don’t want to refinish the floor right now, plus the foyer is between the diningroom and livingroom. Am I going to have a hard time matching the stain? I don’t even know what they used to stain the floor. Can I do this myself?
Caridwen, I think you are describing a mark or scratch in the varnish that is over the stain (if in fact your floor is stained). Varnish can be touched up but it won’t look quite the same because what you see if the product of time and age.
Your best bet is to let it age and refinish the whole floor when you can. It’s not that expensive and old wood just jumps back to life with refinishing.
Yeah. Touching up any finish is a hit-or-miss proposition. You might be lucky and find something that comes close (I found an off-the shelf stain that, with amber shellac over it does a great job of matching the old woodwork in this house; the problem is coming up with wood resembling 90-year-old Southern pine for the new work!).
Believe it or not, one solution may involve a bit more floor damage. Move a piece of furniture you are unlikely to reposition in the room. Try to duplicate the damage done over an area more than just a few inches square.
This new bare area will give you a small test area to use. Then, do as suggested and try different stains and blends. You will waste a lot on wrong tinted batches but that’s nothing compared to stripping the floor. Once you have a nice looking batch, then do the fix on the visible areas.
Oh, and be patient. Wait 12 hours after applying a test bit, so it can completely dry into the small test area. Otherwise density and contrast will likely not be accurate.
The beauty and the aggravation of wood (and wood finishes) is that it ages and changes over time. Even if your repair matches it really closely, over time it may age differently and the repaired area may begin to reappear.
That’s not to say that there aren’t experts out there that can do an almost perfect repair just like an art restorer. At that point, your time and expense may be better utilized in a total refinishing of the floor. Done properly you will have what looks like a beautiful new floor.
Good luck. I wouldn’t blame you for taking a crack at a temporary repair. Try to stay away from sanding. Just don’t get too optimistic about the results you expect.
It’s not that type of situation. He’s sort of a friend of the family/handyman who’s in his 70’s and still likes to keep busy. It was really my fault for not putting a drop cloth down.
I’m really pretty fussy with the floors and I’m sort of sick about it. Thanks for all the suggestions and I’m going to give it a try until I can have the floor redone.
Definitely don’t sand the spots, that will make it look way worse on an old floor. You can get a sample sheet of various stains from your local paint store, or the big box stores. I prefer the locals.
You can probably get close enough to get a decent match. Then you can apply the stain in a small spot just to check, maybe in a corner that is always covered by furniture. Be aware it won’t be perfect, but with a 12 yr old stain, I’m sure it has disparities in color anyway.
Apply the stain lightly to the spots with a rag ( I prefer a rag over a brush for this type of repair, as it is easier to wipe and blend it in) and try to “feather” it out into the good part. The more coats the darker it will get, so start off with a thin application.
That is about the best you are going to get, but sometimes it works well. You might see the spots but nobody else will.
How big are the spots? If they are small enough, go to a local solid-wood furniture store, look to see which of their standard stains most closely matches your floor stain and ask for a “stain marker”.
It should look exactly like a normal marker. It shouldn’t cost you anything, and if it does not more than $10. Take it home, colour the floor and quickly wipe the area with a cotton shirt afterwards. Repeat until you are pleased.
This will work well if the stain matches and the marks on the floor are small enough. If they’re big, it’ll still work but the repair will be rather noticeable. Like NJMoose says, it’ll be hit or miss. Whatever you do, don’t sand!
Here’s another option, perhaps a little off the wall, but it works, depending on the situation, which is hard to tell without pictures. There are scratch removers, this product works well.
