The Money Pit
Home Improvement Tips & Podcasts
Getting Rid of Stains on Hardwood Floors
Tom Kraeutler asks,
I'm restoring the wooden floors throughout my house. There used to be carpet but we removed it, and I don't know what to do the stains it left behind on the wood. Most of the floor looks great, but one large stain in particular seems to go quite deep, so I cant just sand it out. Is there something I can treat the wood with? Or maybe a dark stain will make the stain less noticeable? Any suggestions are welcome.
Your hunch is spot-on. Applying a darker stain over the unwanted stain will hopefully blend it in. Now, be warned – this approach is hit or miss, and includes the risk of ending up with a color you don't like. Experiment a bit until you get the right shade. First try the stain on a piece of raw wood. Once it's dry, hold it next to your floor to see if it's the color you're after. If so, start staining in an inconspicuous area to see how works with your floor.
One more consideration before you start: Your floor probably has a finish that needs to be sanded off before you can apply this darker stain, which also might help make thay problem spot less noticable.
And hey, if all else fails, there are always area rugs!
If you can't sand it, the next best option is to piece in a new section of wood. This obviously has its issues, as the new wood will look newer than the old, but will it look better than the old wood with the stain? Is it in a place where you might put an area rug or a piece of furniture over it?