Chipped wood floors do not only affect its appearance but can cause home accidents most especially if this chip is on the edge. The chipped edges can snag your socks or clothing and leave a tear, or worse; you could stub your toe on their sharp tips.
Here’s a sneak peek on how to fix chipped wood floors. To fix chipped wood floors, you could cover the chipped area with wax or patch material; either method restores your floor to its original state.
How to Fix Chipped Wood Floors
Table of Contents
1. Using Wax
Choose a wax with a color that matches the color of your floor. You may need to combine a couple of waxes to achieve a perfect matching color.
Next, heat up iron as you scrape off pieces of the wax onto the chipped area and press your hot iron into the wax to fill the area.
Continue building up the wax till you have excess to scrape off to achieve a smooth surface. After filling the area with wax, allow it to cool.
Once the wax is cooled, scrape off excess using a plastic or metal scraper. You can recreate beveled areas using a putty knife then use a rag to brush off any excess.
For chipped edges, mimic wire-brushing or scraping lines on areas with such designs to blend in your chipped edge repair even better. You can make small “wire-brush” scratches in the floor grain with the edge of a scraper or a 5-way tool.
Related: How to wax hardwood floors naturally
2. Using Patch Material
If you have planks leftover after the floor installation or a scrap of wood of the same species as the flooring, you can use it to fix chipped wood floors.
Using a countersink bit, drill a hole through the chipped part of the floor, drop a little bit of water in the hole, and add some adhesive.
To secure the floorboard back to the floor, screw through the hole. If you saved the chipped piece of the floor, it could be used to fix the area. Simply cover all the exposed wood with glue before placing it back on the floor.
Finally, use a damp rag to wipe off any excess glue left on the patch after installing.
Related: How to patch hardwood floors
3. Dutchman Secrets
In the absence of leftover floorboard, chipped pieces, or the chipped piece doesn’t fit back into the hole perfectly; you’ll need to make a dutchman.
Inspect the floorboard and select a section of it that matches the existing grain of the area of the floorboards near the chipped area.
It is very important to match the grain of the dutchman, not the stain. Opt for a patch of the same wood as the flooring that has a similar grain pattern.
You would need to make a mortise that should fit the patch, not the other way around; this is the best way to achieve a tight fit.
To enable the patch to slide easily into the mortise plane, a slight bevel into the patch’s bottom edges. This ensures they fit tightly.
If you can’t find a patch with matching color to the floor stain, simply get one with a color closely similar that can still serve as a perfect match.
Read: How to fill cracks in wood floor
Conclusion
A chipped wooden floor ruins the floor aesthetic and also poses an accident risk. Here’s how to fix chipped wood floors; you can decide to use wax to cover up the chipped area or use a patch from leftover flooring or the chipped pieces. Both methods are effective in restoring your floor surface to its original look and evenness.