I Found a Quick Fix for Scratched Wood Floors—and It's This $12 Marker From Amazon
It works on laminate flooring, too!
When I moved into a new apartment (and learned some serious decluttering truths along the way) this past fall, I had to accept both the good and bad of living in a 90-year-old building. I loved the moldings and tin ceiling in the kitchen, but the flooring had none of the original charm. Over the years, the original hardwood floors had been replaced by a variety of faux wood flooring, which had gotten scuffed and scraped from decades of tenants moving in and out. While some of the worst gashes could be conveniently covered up by area rugs, I assumed I would just have to live with the other unsightly marks.
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That is, until my mom came over and recommended a wood stain pen. Having used the pen to cover up marks on the real wood floors in her house, she figured they could help camouflage scratches in faux wood, too. After a quick Amazon search, I found the Old Masters Touch-Up Pen for $12, available in seven different colors to match many types of wood, from maple to mahogany. For the best results, you'll want to make sure you're selecting the right match. If you have hardwood floors, the choice is easy, but with faux wood, I simply selected the wood shade that was closest to my laminate floor. Luckily, "Golden Oak" blended in perfectly.
When the marker arrived, I got to work carefully filling in all of the exposed scrapes and scratches on my living room floor. While the marker won't actually fill in chips or dents in the floor, it does make the color of the scratch match the rest of the floor, effectively camouflaging it. Before, when I walked into the living room, my eye was drawn to each mark, and even though the marks are still there if you look closely, they no longer attract attention. For a quick fix that can be done in five minutes and for less than $15, the marker had worked its magic.
And the touch-up marker isn't just for flooring—it can also be used on chipped wood furniture, stair banisters, and wood moldings. If all of the wood in your home matches, one marker will do the trick, but if you mix and match walnut and maple, be sure to order a coordinating marker for each.
