Nail holes and scratches on treads and risers

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Q: I recently pulled the old carpet off from our stairs and pulled off all of the carpet tack strips that were on the treads and risers only to find lots of nail holes and scratches!

What is the best way to fix this problem to make them look like the rest of the oak hardwood in our house?

A: If they don’t need to be fully sanded and finished from scratch, then perhaps a light buffing with fine sandpaper and another coat will do the trick. The nail holes can be filled with colour match wood putty which you could likely purchase from any establishment that sells wood floors. If there are any knife cuts in the wood, from carpet people cutting through the underpad, there is a good chance it cannot be removed at all, but if it could, it would be with a full sanding with professional equipment.

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