Moving Out Of My Apartment - And Discovering The Floor Is Scuffed
July 19, 2011 3:52 PM Subscribe
I'm moving out of my apartment at the end of the month—and we've discovered that the hardwood floor in our office is moderately scuffed up as a result of a rolling office chair that's dug a bit into the floor. Can we fix this? Pictures and other details inside.
My girlfriend and I are moving out of our apartment by month's end—and we're expected to pay any damages to the apartment, having lived in it for about 3 years and having an unfortunately somewhat strained relationship with the landlord. We expected that we'd be in the clear as far as paying any damage costs, as the apartment has no damage to speak of. However, we've noticed in the last few weeks that there is some real scuffing in our office, as a result of the chair digging in.
Picture 1 — Picture 2 — Picture 3 — Picture 4
So, how best to rectify this? Is there any way to non-expensively clear this up, or at least mitigate it?
My girlfriend and I are moving out of our apartment by month's end—and we're expected to pay any damages to the apartment, having lived in it for about 3 years and having an unfortunately somewhat strained relationship with the landlord. We expected that we'd be in the clear as far as paying any damage costs, as the apartment has no damage to speak of. However, we've noticed in the last few weeks that there is some real scuffing in our office, as a result of the chair digging in.
Picture 1 — Picture 2 — Picture 3 — Picture 4
So, how best to rectify this? Is there any way to non-expensively clear this up, or at least mitigate it?
Do you know what the floor has been treated with in the past? Like, has the landlord waxed it or what?
posted by SMPA at 3:59 PM on July 19, 2011
posted by SMPA at 3:59 PM on July 19, 2011
I live in a 50+ yr old house with similar flooring. Unless it's only on the surface (it would've been helpful to see a sideways picture at ground level), I think you'll have to sand everything down and re-stain/wax/oil the whole area. It might help if you try applying oil/wax/stain/etc. directly to the surface if it didn't dig in but that's still going to show a bit according to me... Have you tried asking a good hardware store sales person his or her opinion?
I'm not sure, but I think I remember my dad (who's done a lot of wood working and has renovated around the house, including sanding some floors down) telling me that the floors he just sanded weren't the same color as the rest of the house because they hadn't aged yet, as if the caramel color intensifies with the years. So if your floor is similar, how don't know if using a tint or a stain will really help.
posted by kitsuloukos at 4:00 PM on July 19, 2011
I'm not sure, but I think I remember my dad (who's done a lot of wood working and has renovated around the house, including sanding some floors down) telling me that the floors he just sanded weren't the same color as the rest of the house because they hadn't aged yet, as if the caramel color intensifies with the years. So if your floor is similar, how don't know if using a tint or a stain will really help.
posted by kitsuloukos at 4:00 PM on July 19, 2011
oups: *I* don't know, on last sentence
posted by kitsuloukos at 4:01 PM on July 19, 2011
posted by kitsuloukos at 4:01 PM on July 19, 2011
Maybe you can wax it and the landlord will treat it as normal wear and tear, if you're lucky.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:16 PM on July 19, 2011
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 4:16 PM on July 19, 2011
Before you go to the extent of waxing or staining, try oiling with a lemon oil product like this. Cheap, quick, and surprisingly effective at this type of wear.
Note that a little lemon oil goes a long way. Just dampen a soft cloth with it to start.
posted by dayintoday at 4:28 PM on July 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
Note that a little lemon oil goes a long way. Just dampen a soft cloth with it to start.
posted by dayintoday at 4:28 PM on July 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
Sanding and refinishing is the only way to really make it go away. That said, as a landlord myself, I'd be inclined to caulk that up to normal wear and tear. Assuming you've been a timely paying renter.
posted by Buckshot at 4:39 PM on July 19, 2011
posted by Buckshot at 4:39 PM on July 19, 2011
I've used olive oil or furniture polish to hide scratches in estapoled floors before. Might not work on an area that size though. I'd take your photos to a hardware store.
posted by kjs4 at 4:45 PM on July 19, 2011
posted by kjs4 at 4:45 PM on July 19, 2011
I've used finish restorer on my floors and wooden furniture. It really helps hide the scuffs and restore the lustre. I don't remember the brand name and can't google it because my computer has chosen this exact moment to be difficult, but a 500ml tin of it costs about $12 and goes a long way. You apply it with a soft cloth.
posted by orange swan at 6:49 PM on July 19, 2011
posted by orange swan at 6:49 PM on July 19, 2011
Is that down into the wood? Then sanding and refinishing is the only option.
But if it just the finish that is scuffed, you might be able to buff it out with some gentle steel wool.
posted by gjc at 7:18 PM on July 19, 2011
But if it just the finish that is scuffed, you might be able to buff it out with some gentle steel wool.
posted by gjc at 7:18 PM on July 19, 2011
Your floor looks a bit lighter than the one I did this on, but I had great results minimizing scuffs similar to that with lightly applied brown shoe polish.
posted by jimmysmits at 7:41 PM on July 19, 2011
posted by jimmysmits at 7:41 PM on July 19, 2011
Depending on how long you've been there, some of it might be considered "normal wear and tear."
posted by R2WeTwo at 5:05 AM on July 20, 2011
posted by R2WeTwo at 5:05 AM on July 20, 2011
I've used a "metal cross-link polymer" floor finisher on the unsound should-be-refinished hardwood floors in my place with great success. Clean the floor wipe on a coat or three with a clean rag over the worn area, then a coat over the entire room.
It sands off with the finish if someone ever wanted to refinish the floor - unlike oils or waxes, and protects the wood from water damage, just as the original finish would. I think a gallon cost about $20cdn, which covered a bunch of coats over about 1000sqft.
posted by csmason at 6:01 AM on July 20, 2011
It sands off with the finish if someone ever wanted to refinish the floor - unlike oils or waxes, and protects the wood from water damage, just as the original finish would. I think a gallon cost about $20cdn, which covered a bunch of coats over about 1000sqft.
posted by csmason at 6:01 AM on July 20, 2011
Not sure if this would do the job for as large a scuff as you have, but I've used these wood "rejuvenate" repair markers before on smaller scuffs.
http://www.homedepot.com/buy/rejuvenate-wood-repair-markers-for-furniture-and-floors-212950.html
posted by forkisbetter at 8:16 AM on July 20, 2011
http://www.homedepot.com/buy/rejuvenate-wood-repair-markers-for-furniture-and-floors-212950.html
posted by forkisbetter at 8:16 AM on July 20, 2011
Bite a walnut or an almond in half. Rub the meat on the scuffs and they will magically go away. Worked for deep scratches on my hardwood floors.
posted by Fuego at 12:33 PM on July 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Fuego at 12:33 PM on July 21, 2011 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by roboton666 at 3:58 PM on July 19, 2011