Remove a Scratch from Mahogany Wood Flooring

Among household wood floors, a mahogany wood floor is regarded among the more aesthetic and durable options. Mahogany is a durable wood that is inherently resistant to scratches and staining. However, continued use and neglectful handling can take a toll on the most durable of hardwoods. Thus, people having mahogany wood floors should know how to remove the scratches from their floors. This is a simple process that can be done without professional assistance, using some basic household supplies.

Cleaning the Mahogany Wood Floor

You need to thoroughly clean the mahogany wood floor before treating the scratches. This ensures that the debris is not impacted by the scratches during the scratch-removal process. Ensure that you don’t use hard abrasive agents that can further scratch the surface. To clean the debris, repeatedly mop the floor.

Then clean the mahogany wood floor with a cleaning solution made of lukewarm water and dishwashing soap. You can use a sponge to lightly scrub the floor. Remember to rub the sponge in the direction of the wood grain. To remove hard stains around the scratched surface, use a solution made of tap water and white vinegar. Dry the floor before proceeding.

Buffing Mahogany Wood Floor Scratches

Buffing ensures that the outline of the scratches is reduced and they are camouflaged in the background of the mahogany wood grain. You can use a steel wool pad for this. Ensure that you limit your buffing to the scratches only. You can also use fine-grain sandpaper grits. Buff in direction of the wood grain. Don’t use sanding screens and scouring pads or buffing compounds containing harsh mineral spirits as these can harm the mahogany wood floor.

Waxing Mahogany Wood Floor Scratches

Using a dry mop, clean the debris created by buffing. You can also vacuum the floor. To fill up the scratches, you can use wax. Paste wax is recommended for this purpose as it easily attaches to finished wood surfaces. After applying the wax, re-buff the floor, in the same manner, explained above. Paste wax acts as a filler material for deep scratches.

Coloring Mahogany Wood Floor Scratches

To ensure that the scratches are comprehensively eradicated, you need to treat them with a matching color. This a bit of trial and error phase wherein you need to use various approaches to find out which one is most effective. Use mahogany-colored repair markers available at hardware stores. You can fill in the scratches with mahogany-colored wax sticks also. However, this requires repeated buffing since the wax needs to be sanded to be disguised.

Finishing Repaired Mahogany Wood Floor

It is vital to finish this repair project by applying a wood finish. This conceals the presence of repaired surfaces and contributes towards the overall durability of repaired, buffed surfaces. Apply a branded wood finishing compound using a paintbrush. However, using medium or low-gloss finishing compounds is recommended since they are better equipped to conceal the presence of deep scratches. You should use water-based finishing compounds that are easier to handle and can immediately bond with the mahogany wood floor.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Northants Tile Doctor Details the Renovation of a Quarry Tiled Floor in Wollaston

This client from the village of Wollaston contacted Tile Doctor about cleaning and sealing their Quarry tiled floor. They were refurbishing the house and wanted to keep the original floor tiles as part of the renovation.

The tiles were installed throughout the ground floor, including the kitchen, lounge and hallway. However, as I was to discover myself, they were covered in years of grime, and they were not sure if they could be restored.

I went over to survey the floor and could see that any sealer that may have protected the tiles from ingrained dirt had long since worn off and as a result dirt had become ingrained into the pores of the quarry tiles. Once this happens its very difficult to keep clean.

 

I had to agree the floor was overdue a deep clean and re-seal and so took some measurements in order to work out a quote for doing the work. The quote was accepted, and a date set for starting the work which would take two days, one to clean and one to seal.

 

Cleaning a Quarry Tiled Ground Floor

To deep clean the quarry tiles, a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go was applied to the floor and left to dwell for a short while. The solution was then scrubbed into the tile using a black scrubbing pad fitted to a rotary machine.

The solution soon turned black with the dirt that was pulled out of the tiles and was rinsed away with water and extracted using a wet vacuum. I inspected the tiles afterwards and could see some paint splashes from years of decorating were still evident, so I re-applied the product and repeated the process to get rid of them.

The grout was then cleaned by hand using Tile Doctor Pro-Clean and a scrubbing brush, again extracting the waste once complete. I find this is the most effective way to clean grout as the pads struggle to reach into the recess of the grout line.

To complete the cleaning process, I then gave the floor an acid rinse with Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up, this was applied to remove old grout smears and further clean up the tiles. All soiling was rinsed off with water and extracted with a wet vacuum. The floor was left to dry off overnight.

 

Sealing a Quarry Tiled Ground Floor

Returning the following day, the first job was to test the floor with the damp meter to check it was dry. The tiles needed to be dry enough to accept the seal and applying sealer to damp tiles can result in a patchy appearance. This is always worthy checking when cleaning Quarry tiles as that are naturally quite porous so can take some time to dry.

Once satisfied the readings were within the correct range, I was ready to seal. I selected to use Tile Doctor Seal and Go Extra for this, it’s a breathable sealer which is useful for older floors such as this where there is no evidence of a damp proof membrane being installed. Breathable sealers allow for moisture to rise through the tile and evaporate at the surface, without this moisture can build-up under the floor causing it to reach out to the walls where it could cause rising damp.

I applied two coats of Seal and Go Extra waiting for the first to dry before applying the next. The sealer lifts the deep red colours in the Quarry tiles and adds a nice appealing shine. The sealer works by ensuring dirt remains on the surface where it can easily be cleaned away.

My client was very happy with their now clean quarry tiled floor and left the following feedback for me: "I was looking forward to the results before it was even booked in, and I was not disappointed. A professional approach and very helpful throughout."

Before leaving I took time to explain how to maintain the floor using Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner. Its important to use a product like this on a sealed floor as many tile cleaning products are simply too strong and will strip the sealer off the floor with regular use.

Source: Quarry Tile Floor Cleaning and Sealing Services in Wollaston Northamptonshire