Minor damage may even enhance the rustic look of distressed or hand-scraped floors by blending in with other patina, but you’ll probably want to fix other flaws. Check the manufacturer’s manual for any special instructions, then try these simple remedies for unwanted imperfections:
1. Mark it. A color-matched felt marker can hide small scratches in any floor. Some hardwood manufacturers even offer color-blended filler for chips and grooves, available at home centers and flooring stores.
2. Sand it. Badly worn or damaged wood floors must be refinished. But you can do spot repairs of wear or damage with light buffing or sanding, followed by staining. Be especially careful with thin veneers on engineered-wood floors.
3. Replace only what’s damaged. Heavy damage or a cracked stone tile usually requires chiseling out the damaged section and gluing in a new piece. But that’s still easier than removing an entire row of tiles or planks if you’ve floated the floor.
Top floors from our tests
The top performer in Consumer Reports tests of six types of flooring was the vinyl Tarkett NAFCO PermaStone Collection Natural Slate-Sand Stone NS-660, $4.70 a square foot, which got excellent marks on our tests for foot traffic and resisting dents, scratches, stains, and sunlight. Another vinyl, Congoleum DuraCeramic Sierra Slate SI-74 Golden Greige, $5.00, did almost as well with excellent marks in everything but resisting denting, which was still very good. Not far behind was the ceramic tile SnapStone Beige 11-001-02-01, $8.00, which like its name implies is a snap to install.
Good wood. If you prefer the look of wood, our top prefinished wood is Teragren Portfolio Naturals Wheat TPF-SYN-WHT-126-DL, $7.50 a square foot, followed closely by EcoTimber Woven Honey WBH061, $6.00. Both were very good at withstanding foot traffic and excellent at resisting scratches and stains. Teragren was also tops in engineered wood with its Teragren Synergy Wide Plank Java, $7.00. For full Ratings and recommendations see our Flooring Buying Guide.
—Adapted from Consumer Reports Kitchen Planning & Buying Guide
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