You try to protect your beautiful hardwood floors, but scratches happen and they can be ugly. Here’s a trick to minimize the look of deep scratches without expensive renovation. Hardware stores have wax crayons that match most shades of hardwood. Or look in that old box of children’s crayons for a color that matches your floor. Take the paper off the crayon, then put the crayon in a small glass container and melt it in your microwave. Your goal is to soften the crayon enough to manipulate, so start by setting the microwave for 10 seconds. (You may end up needing to give it more time to melt, depending on the power of your microwave.) Carefully scrape the melted wax into the scratch. Before it completely hardens, take a piece of semi-rigid plastic—such as a credit card—and glide it over the treated area, removing the wax that landed outside the scratch, making the filled-in scratch level with the rest of the floor. (Take care not to scratch the floor again with the plastic.) You can remelt the scraped-up wax as many times as necessary to get the whole length of the scratch filled in.
Another method that some people prefer: Instead of melting the crayon first, grate it using a kitchen grater and then press the little pieces tightly into the scratch. Next, use a blow-dryer set on low to soften the wax, then level it off with a piece of plastic. When the melted crayon cools and completely hardens, buff the area with a soft, clean cloth. (If you’re into waxing the floor, this would be the time to do it.) Depending on the traffic flow, this fix should last indefinitely.
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