Hardwood Floor Repair · Livonia and Southeast MI
Hardwood Floor Repair in Livonia and Southeast Michigan
Dents, scratches, stains, faded spots and floors that need patching after a remodel. Most repairs don't need a whole new floor. They need someone who knows how to make new wood disappear into old.
NWFA Certified Installer, NWFA Certified Sand & Finisher, NWFA Certified Wood Flooring Inspector, NWFA Certified Sales Advisor
Repair, refinish or restore?
Three different jobs. Here's how to tell which one your floor needs.
| Your floor | What it needs | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| A few damaged spots on a floor that's otherwise fine | Repair | This page |
| Worn finish across whole rooms | Refinishing | Hardwood floor refinishing |
| An older floor that's waxed, sanded before, loose or gapped | Restoration | Older floor restoration |
| A flood, leak or insurance claim | Water damage | Water damage and insurance |
Dents
A dropped pan or a moved dresser leaves a dent. Depending on how deep it goes, we can sometimes steam a dent back out with moisture and heat. On most floors with a film finish, a deep dent means replacing that board or sanding the area. We'll tell you which one your floor needs at the visit.
Scratches and scuffs
Scuffs and light scratches that stay in the finish can often be fixed by lightly abrading the surface and adding a fresh coat, without sanding to bare wood. Scratches that cut into the wood need sanding or a board replacement. Floors finished with a penetrating oil, like Pallmann Magic Oil or Rubio Monocoat, can often be spot repaired without touching the rest of the room.
Patching in after a wall comes out
Taking out a wall usually leaves a strip of subfloor where there was never any hardwood. We weave new boards into the existing floor, staggering the joints so the patch doesn't show as a straight line. Then we sand and finish the whole area so the new boards blend with the old.
Matching matters. We match species, width and grade, and on older floors we look for boards that have aged the same way. A match is never guaranteed, and we won't pretend otherwise. We'll show you what's possible before we start.
Pet stains and small spills
A dog bowl that tipped over, a plant that leaked, a pet accident that sat too long. Surface stains often sand out. Dark stains that soaked into the wood usually don't, and those boards need replacing. We'll show you which is which.
If the water came from a leak, a flood or an appliance and the damage covers more than a few boards, see our water damage and insurance page.
Sun fading
Sunlight through windows changes the color of wood over time, and rugs leave a lighter outline. Fading isn't a spot repair, because the color change runs across the whole area. Evening it out usually means sanding the room to bare wood and finishing it again. Window film and moving rugs now and then help slow it down afterward.
Loose, squeaky or gapped boards
Squeaks usually come from boards or subfloor moving against nails. We fasten them down from above or below, depending on what we can reach. Gaps are different. Many open in winter and close in summer as Michigan's humidity changes, and filling a seasonal gap can make it crack and pop out. We look at how your floor moves before we recommend anything. See subfloor leveling and repair when the problem starts below the floor.
Stairs and transitions
Worn stair nosings, loose treads and damaged thresholds can be replaced or rebuilt to match the floor. See staircase renovations for bigger stair projects.
Why we look first
We don't price repairs from photos. Whether a board can be matched, whether a stain went through the wood and how much sanding the floor can still take don't show up in a picture.
Start with a free call or email. Tell us what happened and send a photo, and we'll help you figure out what you're probably dealing with. Then we book a $50 in home repair evaluation, where we look at the damage in person and give you an honest quote. The $50 is credited toward your repair if you go ahead. Repairs have a $500 minimum, so we can do every one properly, with the right matching, sanding and finish work.
Hardwood Floor Repair
Repair FAQs
Yes. We remove the damaged boards and weave in matching replacements. On a site finished floor, the repaired area is usually sanded and finished to blend.
Often, but not always. We match species, width and grade, and on older floors the age of the wood matters too. We'll tell you honestly what's possible before we start.
Scratches that stay in the finish often can. Scratches into the wood usually need sanding or a board replacement. Oil finished floors can often be spot repaired.
If the stain is only on the surface, it may sand out. Dark stains that soaked in usually mean replacing those boards.
Yes. We weave new boards into the existing floor and blend the finish across the area.
Fading runs across the whole area, so it's usually corrected by sanding and finishing the room, not by spot repair.
We'll help you diagnose the problem by phone or email for free. To quote it, we need to see it. The $50 in home repair evaluation is credited toward your repair if you go ahead.
Yes. Repairs have a $500 minimum. The final price depends on what we find at the evaluation.
A damaged spot doesn't mean a new floor.
Visit our Livonia showroom on Seven Mile Road or call us. We'll look at the damage and tell you honestly what it takes to make it disappear.