dents in hardwood floor

[hunter1]

i know this is off the exact subject matter but i have a dent in a piece of hardwood flooring that might be fixed as thou it was in a gun stock????
i have heard of damp cloth and iron method, how effective is this , does it discolor the stock, exactly how is it done????
any help is appreciated, a good fix woold make two gun nutz happy

 

[Can-down]

Basically steaming the wood fibres to get them to swell.
I've used wet cloth and a hot air gun works well.
Just get the wood wet and let the water soak in if possible to the damaged area then apply heat with the hot air gun.
The technique works better if the wood isn't sealed but it will work on finished floors as well.
I've never noticed any staining from the water,

 

[scairns]

On things with really tight finishes, I have had good luck putting a tiny pin prick or two through the finish (before the wet rag and iron treatment) to allow the water vapour to get in.

 

[finn_ethan]

Put a drop in the dent, put a clean cloth over the spot and use a medium hot iron so as not to burn the floor. You don't need to hold it much - once you hear the hiss of the steam on contact you're pretty much done.

If the dent doesn't come out all the way, try the same again the next day and so on. The wood will only expand so much in one day.

The dent is visible because you get a wee shadow from the impression. If it doesnt' come all the way out by steaming you can get different color wax sticks for furniture repair at most hardware stores. Smear a little in the dent and your eye won't be drawn to it as much.