Follow These Steps to Fix Worn Spots on Timber Floors
It is common for parts of your wooden floor to wear out before the others. Typically, this happens in areas which receive a lot of foot traffic and also in spots where heavy objects are typically placed. Other causes of excessive wear include clawing by pets, spills and places where the humidity is excessively high. Refinishing the entire floor because one spot had a weakness may seem a little bit over the top, which is why it is easier to fix the spots with the problem. Here are the steps which you can follow to fix weakness spots in your timber flooring.
Testing the finish
The first thing that you need to do, especially if you found the floor already installed and finished, is to test the finish. Tests will help you figure out whether the floor is waxed or not and the kind of finish which the floor will need. If you rub a finger on the floor and it feels rough, there is the possibility that the wood was finished with penetrating oil and wasn't finished with wax. Another test you can perform is the water test. If you drop some water on the affected area and it beads up, the wax may be wearing thin, but it will not be completely worn through to the wood. If you rub a rug vigorously on the floor and you notice darkening, it means that the floor has a wax finish which needs to be stripped off before treating the spot.
Removing the wax
Use a rug and odourless mineral spirits to remove the wax. Use as much spirit as needed to soak all the wax, and let the rug absorb it before turning it around and soaking the other side. Continue with the rubbing till the rugs stop showing discolouration, which will mean that the wax is cleaned. If the floor is oiled or the wax is completely worn through, you can use sandpaper to scuff it clean.
Re-staining the floor
The lost colour of the worn out area can only be restored by re-staining it. This will be simple if you have some leftover stain from the last finish. If not, get a colour which most closely resembles the one removed.
The final step is refinishing, which you can do using an appropriate brush or rag. If refinishing with oil, the rag will do a better job. Repeat the process till you get the colour and sheen that you desire.