Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood floors add lasting warmth and value to a home — but they need the right care, repairs, and finishing to stay looking their best. This section brings together our practical guides for cleaning, fixing, refinishing, and choosing solid and engineered hardwood flooring.

Repairs: fix scratches, silence squeaky floors, patch a hole, and close gaps between boards.

Cleaning & shine: make floors shine, use Bona polish, remove pet-urine stains, and lift black stains.

Refinishing: DIY refinishing, buffing, screen & recoat, and strip without sanding.

Planning & buying: which direction to run boards, room transitions, pricing, and hardwood vs laminate vs vinyl.

For a broader overview of every flooring type, see our complete wood flooring guide.

How do you fix scratches in hardwood floors? Light surface scratches often buff out with a matching wood filler or a touch-up marker; deeper gouges may need spot-sanding and refinishing of the affected board.

Can you refinish hardwood floors without sanding? Yes — screening and recoating (or a no-sand refinishing kit) works well when the existing finish is worn but the wood underneath is not damaged.