A scratched hardwood floor can be addressed at home for fine scratches, but professional repair achieves significantly better results on moderate to deep scratches and on floors where colour matching is complex.

DIY Approaches

Wood filler sticks and wax crayons — available from hardware stores in a range of wood colours. Suitable for fine scratches where the colour is a reasonable match. Not suitable for deep gouges or where precise colour matching is important.
Results: better than the raw scratch on simple finishes. Often visible on aged or stained floors where the colour is complex.
Risk: some filling products are incompatible with lacquered floors and can cloud the finish. Test in an inconspicuous area first.

Professional Repair

What is achievable: a professional technician colour-matches precisely to the specific floor colour (including stain and finish), fills the scratch in layers, sands flush and refinishes to match the surrounding sheen level. Results are typically invisible at normal viewing distance.
Best for: any scratches on stained, oiled or aged floors. Any scratches longer than about 50mm. Multiple scratches in a visible area. High-end wood species where colour matching is complex.
Cost: £85–£175 for a localised area.

Our Recommendation

For fine scratches on plain unstained floors, a DIY wax crayon is a reasonable first attempt. For anything else, professional repair gives a significantly better result.