Review on 🔧 WearMax Hardwood Flooring Scratch Repair Touch-Up & Remover - Eliminate White Lines and Restore Wood Floors to Their Natural Clear State by Shane Miller

WearMax scratch concealer for hardwood floors. I rarely write reviews, but I was so impressed with this product that I decided to leave a review. The ONLY downside is that referrals leave a lot to be desired, perhaps because they have to back them up with costly proof of results. We installed finished hardwood floors in the kitchen of a house we were renovating with the intention of selling. Then the market in this town collapsed and we decided to rent. I know hardwood floors plus tenants are a disaster. We chose Bellawood Brazilian Teak, a hard, oily wood that's kitchen-like abrasion and water resistant. (This is a whole other review - short version, don't do it. The widths of the boards from the same box differed by up to 1/4". Terrible quality control. Had to sort the widths of all the boxes first and stack the rows in every other row with the same width and then in the next row with a slightly different width.) True to reputation, the renters made LOTS of scratches on the wood anyway. They had a medium-sized dog whose claws damaged the floor, especially around her food bowl area. I think she was tap dancing before eating in my excitement. Added to this was the occasional scratches that looked like the furniture was moved every day. And all the scratches were WHITE. Doesn't look good on darker wood very experienced craftsmen) Find a few pro message boards where there have been many complaints about this type of finish where the most common advice has been to either not have pre-treated wood floors Recycle or sand the entire finish and recoat with polyurethane, both expensive options. Further research revealed that this product, the WearMax Scratch Concealer, had very mixed reviews. Everyone read it and decided to give it a try anyway as the options are limited. Application as intended with limited success. It did a good job on deeper wood scratches, but even with the highly visible white lines, it didn't do anything unless I felt the top coat was "cracking". More research - this time science - how does it work? It has been found that many, if not all, manufacturers apply multiple coats of a UV curable coating to the wood. When this type of coating is damaged, many small "cracks" appear BETWEEN layers, even if the top layer is intact, resulting in white scratches. WearMax (or any other product) does not penetrate this top layer leaving the scratch behind. So how to deliver the goods to the damaged place? Get a syringe and some needles from the pharmacy. I used a 6ml syringe but many people only carry 3ml as the largest size. I find the larger 6ml size easier to work with (useful for gluing tight joints), but 3ml works. WearMax is thick, so get 18 gauge needles (needle sizes are similar to wire - the larger the gauge, the smaller the needle diameter). You will dull them, so I recommend using a needle for about 15 scratches. (NOTE: Some pharmacies don't sell over-the-counter syringes and needles because they fear they may be supplied to addicts. Check with your state's laws - OTC purchases are legal in my state - and go to your regular pharmacy, the They trust (buy them for craft use. If your state requires a prescription, you may need to ask your doctor for one.) Attach the needle to the syringe. Draw some WearMax into the syringe. It's thick, so even with an 18 gauge needle it's going to be a bit slow. Gained 1-2 ml each time. Apply a small drop of WearMax to the scratch with REAL pressure on the plunger and work one at a time. Now, with the tip of the needle, firmly but carefully pierce the top layer of the coating. You only want to pierce the top, not hollow out the tree. Once WearMax reaches the gaps between the coating layers, the white line starts to disappear in just 5 seconds. Longer scratches may require multiple punctures. WearMax cures slowly under household lighting, so you don't have to rush to complete a repair before it cures. I worked on one board at a time, finishing the second board before returning to wipe off excess WearMax with a quality folded paper towel (Viva). Three days later, after giving it time to cure, I again went over the areas around the scratches with a magic eraser to remove the thin film of product my paper towel had left in places. I think this film is responsible for the shine changes that some reviews have complained about. Remember that it doesn't "soak" over an undamaged finish, it stays on top. The result is downright magical. The scratches are gone as the WearMax sticks to the parting areas. Exhausting and long? Yes. But much, much cheaper than all other options. I would definitely recommend and will certainly do it again when the next tenants move out.