Nail holes on hardwood floor

On 5/18/2008 6:02 PM John61 spake thus:

I guess the obvious method, which is filler of the appropriate color. You might want to get several small quantities of wood filler of different colors and try each on some out-of-the-way holes to see which one blends in the best. Hint: after the filler dries, wet it with water to see what it'll look like under finish (varnish, etc.).

The only other choice is to fill it with wood (toothpicks, etc.), which might not be any better than using filler.

buffalo ny: done in the 1970's: if you change your choice you will completely sand, refinish with 4 coats of polyurethane applied strictly according to directions, and your beautiful floor will still look good 30 years later.

Use a filler that's designed for prefinished/engineered floors. Call a local flooring supply house as they'll have a better selection than a big box store.

If they're small holes, the dust from sanding will fill them, but this requires sanding & refinishing the entire floor. You may end up doing that anyhow. If you use a filler and cover it with urethane or whatever, the finish may not match the surrounding surface, and if either one is glossy, you WILL notice it.

I did nothing and it is not noticeable unless you look for it (but I did refinish). Only in a few places like the threshold between rooms (under the closed door) did they get a little carried away and put too many nails to hide. Make sure to pull all of them or they will wear down the sandpaper faster.

If you are not refinishing, then I would just use that wax crayon type wood filler