How can I get dried wood filler off my hardwood floor?

Retta Robinson
by Retta Robinson

Some places in our new prefinished oak hardwood floor were not laid tightly enough. We used wood filler on the gaps, wiping up smears as we went along. The filler was a real good match so we missed some spots. The filler dried on the wood and I cannot get it off. Have tried soap and water and mineral spirits with no luck. Don't want to ruin the factory finish. Suggestions?

  3 answers
  • William William on Jan 16, 2019

    Try using a credit card or something similar to scrap it off. Wood filler is not used to fill the gaps. A little wood glue in the gaps and the heel of a rubber shoe to pound the gaps closed. The floor expands, contracts, and moves. wood filler may crumble and pop out over time.

    • Retta Robinson Retta Robinson on Jan 16, 2019

      This is 3/4" solid oak, nailed down. Is wood glue still a better option than wood filler?

  • William William on Jan 16, 2019

    Not for a solid wood floor. Sounds like whoever installed it didn't use the proper tool to nail the floor down or didn't use enough force to tighten the joints while nailing. Scraping the wood filler off would be the only solution short of sanding it off. You can also try a small inconspicuous spot using a green kitchen scrubby wet with mineral spirits or WD40.

  • Oliva Oliva on Jan 16, 2019

    Over time, as William wrote, your wood filler will crack. I hope you didn't try to make the floor gaps appear seamless, because with expansion and contraction due to heat, cold, humidity changes, you'll have a great deal of cracking. Wood floors need to breathe/move. Your home's humidity level should be set at 40%.