Help with wooden floors?

Question

I have beautiful hardwood floors...but I need a little help with them.
First of all, they've been scratched in the last two years we've lived here (and there were some scratches in them to begin with). I'd just like to make them look better. Are there any cleaning products (or ANYTHING!) that would minimize the appearance of scratches?
Also, there seem to be some "gaps" in between the pieces...not all of them, but some. It really bugs me. Is there anything I can do about this?
The floors are sort of in a herringbone pattern. I'm not sure what kind of wood it is. It's sort of golden brown. It might be oak.

And no, I couldn't replace the floors even if I wanted to. I'm in military housing.

Answer 1

Wood floors contract and expand, in the winter you'll see the cracks, the summer they'll go away. The only thing for the scratches, is to have the floors buffed and refinished with minimum of 3 coats of polyurethane. Do not wear shoes in the house, and the floors will keep. They look great but need maintenance.

Answer 2

Judging from the 'golden brown' comment the wood likely has been stained prior to the finish coats. If you want to repair only the scratched areas: Look to see if the scratches have penetrated to the 'raw' wood, if so you will need to first find a stain match. Lightly buff the surrounding area with 00 steel wool, apply the stain, and let cure 24 hours. Now apply two coats polyurethane finish, most likely semi, or high gloss.

If you intend to do the entire floor, you will need to rent a floor polisher with 'sanding screen'. You can do this yourself! Polish the entire floor with the screen, be careful just to dull the existing finish, do not sand through to the stained or raw wood. The edges and corners you will have to sand by hand. After you complete this step, sweep and shop vac the majority of the dust. A broom with damp towel to dust the walls ( you dont want dust to drift when you apply finish) After the clean up, fine tune the floor using a rag dampened with mineral spirits, wipe the entire surface. When the damp floor appears dry, you can now apply the finish. Gloss polyurethane will hold up the best. Two coats will seal and finish, but three will create a better wear surface. Wood is beautiful but does require some maintenance, especially with kids in the house. Maintain any future scratches with the first procedure. Good Luck

Answer 3

If you refinish the floor, you can lightly sand them ,to remove the old finish. Then use a wood filler to fill the scratches and some of the larger gaps. Apply the wood filler with a spatula and wipe off the excess. Clean the floor thoroughly with a damp rag and let dry and after that apply at least three coats of polyurethane. You have to wait at least 24 hours between each coat. It's a 3 to 4 day project.