Did you recently discover an unsightly scratch mark on your beautiful bamboo floor? While bamboo flooring is a more robust material than laminate flooring, it still suffers from scratches now and then. Learn how to get scratches out of bamboo floors, whether minor or severe.
Bamboo comes from a diverse group of perennial evergreen plants. It’s a slightly harder wood than oak and ash. It is helpful for many types of construction, including furniture and flooring. Bamboo floors come in various styles, from strand woven bamboo and carbonized bamboo to engineered bamboo flooring.
As strong as the material is, it’s not impervious to scratches. Scratch marks from a pet’s claws and other everyday activities don’t generally affect bamboo planks like other wood flooring, but a sharp object may leave a nasty scratch.
Fortunately, it’s possible to fix scratches on a bamboo hardwood floor. Start with a clean bamboo floor and use the proper scratch remover for the job, whether it’s a deep or minor scratch.
Removing Scratch Marks From Bamboo Floors
Bamboo floors shine like rich wood. Yet, a severe scratch stands out like a sore thumb. Learn how to remove deep or minor scratches from bamboo hardwood flooring and keep your wood floor in tip-top shape.
Preparing for Getting Scratches Out of Bamboo Floors
It’s crucial to clean the floor before removing scratches from bamboo flooring. Otherwise, you risk making the marks worse. Floor cleaning also enables you to see the scratch more clearly for treatment.
To clean bamboo flooring, start by sweeping dust and dirt off the floor with a broom. Get a soft sponge damp with soapy water and clean the affected area to ensure there is no dirt in the scratch. Dry the spot with a towel, and outline the area with painter’s tape to prepare it for scratch repair.
How to Remove Scratches From Bamboo Flooring
Scratch concealers and markers are excellent for getting scratches out of bamboo floors if they’re small. They fill and conceal the floor scratches, and many repair products are available to match your flooring.
Minor Scratch Removal
Light floor scratches appear after you drag something sharp across the surface. These marks happen if grit or a rock gets stuck in a broom or vacuum or if you pull furniture over the floor. The item scrapes off some bamboo finish, leaving a white line.
To buff light scratches off bamboo wood floors, a concealer or wood stain stick is best. These are simple to use and available at home improvement centers or online.
Choose a concealer or marker color closest to your bamboo floor’s color for optimal results. Follow the directions for your product of choice and apply it to the scratch mark with a slow and steady hand.
How to Get Scratches Out of Bamboo Floors
Significant scratches are more challenging to remove than small ones. A deep gash exposes more of the wood, and it’s necessary to refinish the damaged area to restore its appearance. Learn how to remove scratches from bamboo flooring with sandpaper and wood putty.
Deep scratches are less typical than minor ones. They may happen from high heels, pet claws, or heavy furniture. These scratches go beneath the floor finish, leaving an unsightly mark. Therefore, it’s vital to polish deep scratches out of natural bamboo flooring with putty, sandpaper, and sealer.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and apply a small amount of wood filler or putty to the scratch. Wipe away excess filler when wet, and let the putty dry completely.
Buff the area and create a smooth surface with fine-grit sandpaper. Sand with a back-and-forth motion while going with the grain. Clean the spot with a dampened cloth, and dry it with a towel.
Apply a thin coat of polyurethane sealer to the affected area with a brush, and let it dry before allowing foot traffic.
Can You Polish a Bamboo Floor After Removing Scratches?
Once you know how to remove scratches from bamboo flooring and repair the mark, it’s time to give the wood floor a finished look. But can you polish bamboo? Polishing is not a good idea since it leaves the floor slick and slippery. Yet, bamboo cleaning leaves the floor clean and smooth while buffing away blemishes.
Fill a bucket with water and add a squirt of mild soap, or use your favorite bamboo floor cleaner. Wet the mop, wring out excess water, and clean the floor from one side to the other.
Begin at the room’s edges and clean along the walls and corners. Rinse the mop as you go, and use a side-to-side motion to wash the floor. Once the entire floor is clean, buff it dry with soft towels to prevent moisture buildup.
Tips for Preventing Bamboo Floor Scratches
There are ways to prevent floor scratching if you’d rather not spend your time getting scratches out of bamboo floors. Find out how to maintain a bamboo wood floor and keep it scratch-free.
Bamboo Floor Maintenance
The most important thing to do to protect your bamboo wood flooring is to keep it clean and keep sharp objects away. Sand and grime accumulate on floors, and regular traffic causes scratching. Even worse, dragging heavy objects across the floor leaves scratches and dents.
Sweep the floor daily and mop it weekly or when necessary. Place throw rugs in high-traffic areas, and put felt pads beneath chair and table legs. Make it a routine to remove your shoes when entering the house to keep dirt off the floors.
Strand woven bamboo flooring is stunning. It adds richness to the space, and its durability makes it ideal for a busy home. Nevertheless, bamboo hardwood floors experience the occasional scratch. Luckily, fixing floor scratches with the proper scratch-removal techniques is easy.
We hope that learning how to get scratches out of bamboo floors keeps your wood floor looking its best, and we’d love it if you’d share our tips for removing bamboo floor scratches with your friends and family on Facebook and Pinterest.