My wood floor has a white streak that won't wash off

Miriam Illions
by Miriam Illions
This was caused by moving a piano. I don't think the wood is scratched - it looks like the coating (wax?) was stripped. Any advice for restoring it? The floor looks dirty and is driving me nuts! :)
See the streak?
  30 answers
  • Kmh8340504 Kmh8340504 on Jul 30, 2016
    Go to Home Depot or Lowes etc. they carry a scratch filler. It's like a magic marker.thex make numerous colors. Buy one or two that you think will match your wood. Viola
  • William William on Jul 30, 2016
    Kmhbc has a good idea. Minwax makes stain markers in different wood tones for touch ups. I use them all the time. Just go over the spot with the marker and use you finger to blend it in.
  • Leronna Farley Leronna Farley on Jul 30, 2016
    try turtle wax paste :)
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Jul 30, 2016
    Try using plain toothpaste. Works like magic.
  • William heinze William heinze on Jul 30, 2016
    a crayon will work nicely,
  • Kath Patrick Kath Patrick on Jul 31, 2016
    Also, try an "almond stick." It used to be called the Tibet Almond Stick. It's a metal cylindrical can holding a felt stick saturated in almond oils. These are the best for restoring scratched surfaces
  • Jane Jane on Jul 31, 2016
    I've used a piece of a walnut. Really, I saw it on one of the "hacks" blog. I was skeptical but tried on my floor. It worked perfectly. Just rub it on then stand back and feel clever!
  • JoLeen Bolton JoLeen Bolton on Jul 31, 2016
    I agree with Kath Patrick...the Tibet Almond Stick...I've used these for years to make wood scratches disappear. I've seen them on Amazon.
  • Karen Tokarse Karen Tokarse on Jul 31, 2016
    If you have scraped off several layers of the top coat, the BEST way to restore it is with WD-40. Put a small amount of WD-40 on a clean cloth and wipe each piece of flooring WITH THE GRAIN several times. This will dilute and spread the reaming coating over the area you need.
  • Martha Earles Martha Earles on Jul 31, 2016
    we had a solid oak reproduction store and when something kind of like this happened to a piece of furniture we used a fine very find still wool rub it ( not hard ) and then rub with a like color marker or oil make sure you get all oil off
  • Van7336055 Van7336055 on Jul 31, 2016
    Sand it, use number 60 and 80, until clean, use the original finisher to finish.
  • Rehana Khan Rehana Khan on Jul 31, 2016
    I've had great success with chalk or crayon that matches your floor color. In fact, Home Depot/lowes sells wood floor crayon. You just color in the scratch ad wipe of fun the access. It's pretty simple.
  • Johnchip Johnchip on Jul 31, 2016
    Magic Eraser.
  • Janis Janis on Jul 31, 2016
    Sounds nuts, but I would try an iron. Don't use the hottest setting and have a slightly damp cloth between the floor and the iron. Don't use the entire bottom of the iron. This is also a good way to make a dent in wood 'fill in' a bit.
  • Cheryl Cheryl on Jul 31, 2016
    When I get white marks on wood furniture I use tooth polish on a terry cloth rag to rub it out. Use a bit of muscle and then clean it off.
  • Sophia,M.,McConnery Sophia,M.,McConnery on Jul 31, 2016
    Take a heavy clothe,soak it in boiling water,put it on the mark,then after about 15 - 30 minutes sand the area lightly with 220 grit sandpaper.
  • Michael Blackwell Michael Blackwell on Jul 31, 2016
    I would try Furniture Makers. I think you can find them at Bed Bath and Beyond. Used them on a wood desk and then buffed with a little furniture polish. Worked great.
  • Sue  T Sue T on Jul 31, 2016
    One possibility is rub the mark with a pecan or walnut. Shell the nut and use the meaty part inside to rub on the wood. It might make a difference.
  • GoddessOdd GoddessOdd on Jul 31, 2016
    I agree with Sue T. I would try rubbing the scratch with a walnut first. It can't possibly do any harm, and it may be all you need. I was the housekeeper for a historical residence in a museum complex, and used this fix almost exclusively, mainly because it can do no harm. For this, I would take a walnut, break it in half so the nut meat is exposed, and rub with the grain of the wood, buff with a soft cloth, that's it. You might have to do this more than once, but this doesn't look like a deep scratch to me, looks like just surface marking. If that doesn't work, I would try a little wax and buff like crazy. I don't know what the finish is on your floor, so I wouldn't do anything else without know that. Bear in mind that it is quite easy to make the problem worse by applying things to that one spot (I speak from unhappy experience here), so be cautious.
  • Bernadette Staal Bernadette Staal on Jul 31, 2016
    I agree with the lady above - try a walnut - cut it in half and use the oil from within to try to remove the mark.
  • Alan Alan on Jul 31, 2016
    I suspect Sophia is on the right track here, it looks very much like a Bruise in the substrate caused by the weight on the Piano wheel, the boiling water in the rag will bring the bruise out provided the heat can penetrate the surface, I used the use this type of treatment on bare timber in my normal trade work but for me this type treatment is a first on a finished product, jut be wary of the heat turning the finish on the floor a white milky colour, so keep lifting the rag up looking for the blemish to appear, once you get the mark out/off then you can use Walnuts or nugget or the like to even up the colour. If this doesn't work try talking to a Furniture restorer or a person in an Antique restoring outfit they should be able to help. Remember when ever you shift a Piano, buy a special Piano removal trolley thy are like a Skate board but they have special soft wheels, I used to have one but gave it away when I retired, I can't remember if bought mine or it was made for me, if you don't want to do that, get those special half cups that protect you carpet from heavy weights, put them under the wheels on top of 2 decent strong mats to pull the Pian
  • Deb Deb on Jul 31, 2016
    I KNOW THIS SOUNDS SILLY, BUT TRY PUTTING MAYO ON THE SPOT.....LET SIT THEN WIPE IT OFF. I HAD SOME WHITE STEAM MARKS ON MY HARDWOOD FLOOR, AND THIS WORKED GREAT. GOOD LUCK.
  • Krystyna llenza Krystyna llenza on Jul 31, 2016
    Get those crayon for covering scratches in furniture ( they come in various shades ) and rub it along the scratch. Try to match the colour as close as possible. Also you can use regular kids crayon , trying to match the colour also.
  • Miriam Illions Miriam Illions on Jul 31, 2016
    Thank you all SO much! So many ideas to try here -I'll report back with results!
  • Ros7265425 Ros7265425 on Jul 31, 2016
    Wash the floor with tea and it will cover the White area.
  • Galen W. Yoder Galen W. Yoder on Aug 01, 2016
    I can't say that the suggested remedies will or will not work,but I have had lots of events moving large furniture,refrigerators,washers, dryers,etc. I always use 1/8", or 1/4" masonite to roll the appliance on while making repairs. Making sure to actually clean the floor prior to even doing anything is very important,(a rat tail broom to clean the surface) any debris could be ground into the surface and cause a scratch or mark. I have the slide pads you can buy for moving heavy objects on carpet and that works well, but hard surfaces are different! I had a Tile guy on a job that thought rolling a baby grande across his French Limestone would be OK--!! the wheels left a compressed mark in the surface that didn't actually crack or break anything but it left the marks permanently embedded in the surface, which sounds like what happened to your wood floor. Even if the floor had been cleaned and the persons moving the piano had used a heavy pile carpet with the soft side to the floor surface and then systematically slid the piano across the floor it would have had a better outcome than rolling it without protection. When I move things I always am reminded of a Glazer cutting glass, it's amazing what that little wheel on his tool does to that hard glass surface!!
  • Lee Govan Lee Govan on Aug 01, 2016
    A walnut will remove the mark as well as anything I have ever used. Simply rub the nut (unshelled) over the mark and it will disappear. Great for any scuff marks on wooden surfaces, it will even fill shallow scratches. Good luck, and yes, it would drive me nuts too.
  • Linda Keser Linda Keser on Aug 02, 2016
    I've read that smearing the area with vaseline and letting it sit overnight before cleaning it off will remove water stains. That might work and it's certainly cheap enough.
  • Chas' Crazy Creations Chas' Crazy Creations on Feb 02, 2023

    Here are several tips and tricks that might help you https://chascrazycreations.com/floor-cleaning-hacks/

  • Mogie Mogie on Feb 12, 2023

    Here's what the National Wood Flooring Association recommends for removing white spots: If the floor is coated with wax, rub the spot with #000 steel wool and a little wax. If this fails, lightly sand with fine sandpaper and clean the area using #00 steel wool and mineral spirits or a wood floor cleaner.