You worked hard, saved for months and counted down the days until your new hardwood floors were installed. Two days later your dog knocks a mug off the coffee table and leaves a nice little mark on them. A month later your one-year-old drags her toy chest out and a nice scuff appears. Or perhaps, moving great-grandmother’s antique china cabinet didn’t quite leave the floors unscathed. Frustrating, but such is life, right? This is the price of daily life with a family and a house full of animals, even though we try our hardest to balance life and enjoy a beautiful home.

But don’t cry just yet! You can fix those little wounds on wood surfaces with something you probably already have laying in a drawer nearby: a marker! To get a really nice finish you often have to blend brown and black together, but it takes just seconds to camouflage most marks.

Case in point:

This section of our living room floor took a little beating the last time we rearranged the furniture. Since our floors are stained a dark espresso any little mark really stands out!

Out come our trusted tools:

Since the floors are very dark, but also warm, we wanted to start with a brown base.

And then we went over it lightly with the black.

10 seconds after starting you couldn’t see a thing!

A few quick tips to keep in mind:

– Go over the area lightly, you can always go back if you need to add more color after.

– Use your fingers or a paper towel to blend slightly in a circular motion.

– Use permanent markers! Otherwise your scuffs may reappear after your next floor cleaning.

photos by Holly Baker