This Simple Trick Makes Floor Scratches Disappear

If you’re dealing with surface level scratches on medium to dark stained hardwood floors, you don’t need to pay for an expensive repair or even one of the many repair sticks you can find online. All you need are some walnuts out of your pantry. 

What Kind of Wood Flooring Does this Work on?

The Walnut repair works best on light to medium-tone hardwoods that have a clear finish. You can use it with flooring and furniture. It’s particularly effective on woods that have a similar color to the nut:

• Walnut: Of course this is the best match for this technique.
• Oak: Works very well on light and dark stained oak surfaces.
• Maple and Pine: Can slightly darken these lighter wood but still works well for scratches.

Related: The 15-Minute Hardwood Repair Pros Don't want You to Know

Surfaces to Avoid

• High gloss or lacquered surfaces: Usually the oil just sits on the surface of these impenetrable finishes, just creating a mess you’ll need to clean up. 
• Very dark finishes: Mahogany, cherry, and other dark finishes are too dark for walnut to match.
• Laminate flooring: Laminate flooring uses a photographic layer that the oil from the walnut will not soak into. 

Get Your Nut

You don’t need to go foraging for walnuts in the woods. Store bought walnuts in a bag work perfectly fine. There are a few tips that can make this process work better:

• Freshness: Use fresh nuts. Walnuts dry out over time and will lack the oil necessary for the repair. 
• In-Shell or Shelled: Experts agree that a walnut that’s still in its shell works better, simply because a shelled walnut is more likely to retain the necessary oils for making this repair work. 
• Raw or Roasted: Avoid roasted or salted walnuts. Salt is abrasive and can scratch your floor, making matters worse. Roasting walnuts changes the structure of the oil, making it less effective for fixing floor scratches. 

How to Repairs Scratches with a Walnut

• Wipe the scratch the area around the scratch with a clean cloth to remove any dust. 
• Take a shelled raw walnut and rub it into the scratch using a diagonal or circular motion, which will allow more oils to enter the groove. The friction created by the rubbing will help the walnut to release oils into the crack.  
• Rub the treated area with your finger to warm the oils and push them deeper into the scratch. 
• Allow the oil to sit for a few minutes, giving it the oils time to penetrate the woord, then buff with a soft cloth. 

Why it Works

Technically walnuts aren’t repairing the scratch but rather masking it. When a scratch happens, it reveals the lighter wood that is just under the surface. The oils from the walnut fill that scratch, darkening and making it less visible to the eye. 

Can You Use Other Nuts?

While walnuts tend to work the best, other oily nuts are also effective, including almonds, pecans, Brazil nuts, and macadamia nuts. Pecans are particularly effective for lighter wood floors.