Five Practical Tips On How To Get Scratches Out Of Bamboo Floors

A bamboo floor is no doubt eco-friendly, and durable. Furthermore, it creates an eye-pleasing and aesthetical look at your home. However, when you see minor or major scratches on your newly installed bamboo floor, the frustration and sigh coming deep from your heart can be genuine.

It’s more surprising and shocking to see that deep gouges on the bamboo floor have utterly reached beyond the surface coating. When you see such damage on the bamboo floor, there’s every reason for getting panicked.

Well, the good news is that you can quickly fix the light, major and deep scratches with our tutorial on how to get scratches out of the bamboo floor.

So, let’s dive deep into the scratch removal tutorial, including tips on preventing future scratches on the bamboo surface.

Tips On How To Get Scratches Out Of Bamboo Floors

When you deal with the minor and major scratches on the bamboo floor, you can deal with them with the same repair and maintenance products used to repair hardwood floors. We have divided our guidelines on scratch removal into five parts. It will help you quickly browse precisely the type of scratch fixing and removal process you want.

The tips and processes are:

Dealing with light scratches
Fixing scratches that have reached beyond the surface
Repairing large gouges and holes on the board
Repairing damage from falling objects
Prevention tips for future scratches

Now, without much ado, let’s discuss the tips in detail.

Tips 1: Fixing White and Fine Light Scratch

Minor white scratches or the smaller and lighter scratches are common for both bamboo and hardwood floors. Fortunately, these scratches are the easiest to fix and mend and don’t even need excellent expert skills.

Most floors come with anti-scratch lamination coating, preventing the bamboo and hardwood floor from gauges, scratches, and damages. Yet, due to various reasons, the floor receives scratches.

The white or fine light scratches are so smaller and thin that you will hardly feel them until a close inspection will find them on the surface. Furthermore, the scratch will barely penetrate the sealant coating of the laminated floor.

You can use multiple products to fix the scratches. These include:

WearMax Scratch Concealer: This is a commercial-grade concealer that fixes and prevents further damage of the sealant on the floor. You can quickly find the product in brick and mortar store or online shops.
Old English Scratch Cover: This is another good-quality scratch removal and repair item. It is available in many reputed stores, both offline and online.

However, there’re also other alternatives that you can choose from depending on your budget and preference.

The steps to fix the white or slightly light scratches include:

At first clean the surface with a clean and dampened piece of cloth. Then go over the scratchy area with a professional bamboo and hardwood floor cleaner.
Sometimes there might be some cleaner residue left on the floor. So, rinse the dampened cloth properly and wipe off the area again to remove the residue entirely.
After that, take another piece of clean cloth and pour some concealer on it. Then, gently rub the fabric on the surface.
Finally, use a floor-buffing pad to rub off the concealer evenly for a smooth finish. The scratch should eliminate by this time.

Tips 2: Fixing Surface penetrating Scratches

Sometimes scratches may be heavier and reach beyond the initial sealant coating. The penetration of the surface with such scratches will need deep fixing. You may use a stick or knife with putty or wax filled while dealing with such deep scratches quickly.

The wax or putty-filled sticks are prepared with crayons mixture to match various colors. So, check carefully which color matches your floor design before you can use one of these putty or wax sticks to repair the floor.

Sometimes, additional pieces of the bamboo floor or some damage parts during the installation may still be in your garage. Please take one of them in the stores to find the best color match for the wax or putty fillers at ease.

Sometimes, you may effectively fail to find the exact shade match. So, what do you do then? It is highly recommended that you choose a darker shade than the original bamboo floor color since it will hide the fixing better.

Start with the same process as described in our 1^st Dampen a cloth with floor cleaner and wipe out the debris and grime from the surface. Then, clean the surface with clean water to remove any floor cleaner residual.
After that, find lint-free clothing. Use it to wipe the surface entirely and let it dry. You should never use the wax or putty stick until the area is wholly dried. It is crucial since wax won’t stick on the wet surface.
Hold down the wax or putty stick at an angle. Then rub it on the surface in one direction. The one-directional rubbing is essential as abrupt movement will make the scratch even worse. As you rub the putty or wax filler across the surface length, it will slowly fill the entire scratchy area.
When you are adequately done, you will discover that there’s excess waxing on the floor. While many people suggest using a knife to remove the extra waxing, we recommend using a gift card or plastic cardboard. Make sure the card is thin.
Use the card to remove the excess putty or wax from the edge to the center. Move the card gently so that you only remove the access filler and don’t hurt the surface again.
When you repair the excess filler, make sure you use the card along with its face. It will help you remove the filling easily.
Then find another piece of lint-free clothing. Use it to buff the wax applied surface mildly in and around the scratch. The buffing will remove the final residue for a smooth looking surface.
There might be some wax leftovers on the floor just around where you have worked. Check for such wax leftovers and remove them too.

Tips 3: Repairing Gouges And Holes On The Damaged Surface

Sometimes you may accidentally fall a heavier material on the bamboo floor, creating a hole or gouge on the plank. However, if most of the surface is still in good condition, you can repair the gouge with wood putty.

You should select putty filler with a waterproof and quick-drying feature. Also, it shouldn’t shrink since many wood putties with the shrinking quality may crack or, at times, pop-up from the filled holes. This popping up will ruin your entire effort and ask you to perform the fixing once again.

Also, wood putties are available in several colors. Try to pick one that best matches the bamboo floor color so that the repair goes unnoticed most times.

Finally, we suggest that you perform the gouge and hole repairing chores in multiple stages. It enables the wood putty to dry correctly and form an impenetrable attachment on the floor.

You will find debris and grime on the surface, which prevents the putty from sticking perfectly on the surface. Use a lint-free clean cloth to remove the dirt at first.
As you use the cloth to remove grime from the surface, at times, the clothing may feel snagging or unevenness on the surface. If you observe such happenings, use sandpaper with fine-grit to sane the surface.
Move the sandpaper ardently in the direction of the bamboo grain. As you work with the grain direction, the floor will even out, leaving specs of dust. Set your vacuum cleaner on the hardwood floor settings and collect the dust to keep the surface clean and ready for applying the wood putty.
Carefully read through the user manual of the filler product and follow the instructions to mix the products. After that, use a putty knife to apply the mixture on the whole.
You are recommended to apply the putty mixture in thin layers. It will help the filler dry fast and form an even structure.
Allow the filler to dry appropriately, as mentioned on the label. However, if you are in hurry, set the hairdryer in low or medium setting and fast dry the putty filler.
Keep applying the putty filler until it reaches the top surface and fills the entire hole or gouge successfully. Use the appropriate putty knife to scrape off any excess putty fillers.
Lastly, use another sandpaper to finish off the sanding to get an even and smooth surface. Also, use a cloth to remove the dust. You should use the fine-grit sandpaper and use it mildly not to scratch the other parts of the bamboo floor only to increase your workload.

Tips 4: Dealing With Extreme Damage

Sometimes any falling object may hurt the bamboo surface so severely that you may not repair it. Your only option is to replace that particular part of the damaged floor. Luckily, you won’t have to go through the expensive replacement of the entire floor replacement.

Look into your garage. There should be some unused bamboo floor sections left during the installation time. If you find the unused floor sections, it will reduce the coting considerably. However, if you don’t see enough floor sections, the same manufacturer will get the exact color and pattern match for the new floor.

Most floors feature a click-lock design, which is easy to replace. Some surfaces may come with slight nailing; you can still complete the job with some efforts.

Use a ¼” drill bit to create several holes around the center of the damaged board.
Use a hammer to tap the chisel tip inside the holes to tap the floor for removing it.
Once you have split the damaged floor with the chisel, tug it out from the surface. At times the section removal may seem harsh. If such is the case, coax out the floor with the chisel or pry bars.
Use a vacuum cleaner at a hardwood setting to remove the dust, debris, and grime from the nearby area. It will make the surface cleaning and replacement easier.
Measure the damaged floor area and make any adjustments with the replacement floor if need be. You may need to cut the replacement floor with a sharp jigsaw or circular saw for smoothness.
Now test the newly fitted replacement board against the tongue and grooves of the older bamboo board. If the groove and tongues fit accurately, the new board is set for installation on the damaged portion.
However, if the fit isn’t proper, use a utility knife to cut through the board’s tongue until it fits the groove accurately. Also, a jigsaw will work fine for cutting purposes.
Check the fitting once again.
Once you are satisfied with the adjustment, lift the replacement board. Apply adhesive suitable for the bamboo flooring alongside the floor edges. If you want some more permanent connections, apply sealant along the bamboo board’s entire edge and surface to adhere to it with the subfloor.
Apply some weight on the floor and let it dry off the adhesive.

That’s it, and you are done with the damage board replacement with the new one. If you find the damaged board heavily glued with the other boards and subfloors, call for professionals’ help.

Tips 5: Preventing Future Damage Of The Bamboo Floor

When you have fixed the minor or even the heavy scratches on the bamboo surface, the last thing you wouldn’t want is to see off the scratches back again. Hence, it is best to prevent the scratches instead of fixing them again and again.

A primary reason for the light scratch on the surface is dust, grime, and debris. Hence, sweep the floor daily to remove the dust and debris. It acts as a sure shot to keep scratches at bay.
When you or any family member enters the home, encourage them to keep their shoes on the entrance mat. Sometimes the dust underneath the shoe surface may scratch the floor too.
Use soft rubber caps on the legs of the chair and table. It will help prevent damage to the floor from the hard material of the chair and tables.

Final Words

Although a bamboo floor is durable, scratches on it are unavoidable during prolonged use. Fortunately, fixing these scratches isn’t challenging. Once you know how to get scratches out of bamboo floors and pick the right sealant, the task will be brisk and fun.

It is also ardently recommended that you use a professional floor cleaner along with a soft-bristled sweeper to clean the floor without scratching it. A bamboo floor brings aristocracy and aesthetics to the forefront. So, never miss its maintenance to avoid the expensive replacement.