How to Get Rid of Light Cat Scratches on a Wood Floor

Animals can be hard on floors, especially cats with their claws. If your cat has scratched up your wood floor and it's relatively isolated damage, you can just dab some polyurethane over the scratches. However, if the damage is more widespread but not deep enough to require a full re-sanding, you can screen away the previous gloss and re-gloss the whole floor to keep the appearance consistent.

Rotating floor buffer (rented)
Refinishing screens, medium and fine abrasion
Vacuum cleaner with floor attachment
Polyurethane
Paintbrush
Extra-fine sandpaper

Instructions

- 1
  Load the floor buffer with a medium refinishing screen. Start the buffer, and move it over the entire floor in a forward-and-back motion in the direction of the floorboards. The screen will remove the top coat of the gloss finish.
- 2
  Vacuum the floor to clean up the dust.
- 3
  Reload the floor buffer with a fine refinishing screen. Screen the floor again as before, getting it smooth and flat, and then vacuum.
- 4
  Brush on a coat of polyurethane with a paintbrush in the direction of the floor boards. Make the layer thin and smooth, and cover the whole floor.
- 5
  Let the polyurethane dry for 24 hours. Sand by hand with extra-fine sandpaper to dull the surface, and then vacuum the dust.
- 6
  Brush on a second layer of polyurethane in the same manner as the first coat. Let it set for 24 hours.
- 7
  Degloss the second layer of polyurethane as before, with extra-fine sandpaper. Then, vacuum. Brush on a third coat, and let it dry for 48 hours.

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