Stopping Kitchen Chairs from Scratching

Preventing Kitchen Chairs From Scratching
Cut a hole in the tops of tennis balls and slip them on the legs of your kitchen chairs. Tennis balls work particularly well with wrought iron legs; pet stores sell tennis balls in smaller sizes so they are not as noticeable. Hardware stores carry felt circles that attach perfectly to the bottoms of kitchen table and chair legs. Some of these circular pads are peel-and-stick; others are attached to a nail. Also available are pre-made floor savers, usually marketed to schools to eliminate noise, scuffs, and scratches.

Leather hacky-sacks make great leg covers; make a small incision in the top, remove the stuffing, secure open seams with clear glue, slip them on the legs. Buy a fraction of a yard of soft leather or vinyl at the fabric store; cut 4-inch circles; cut strips of elastic 1/4-inch less than the circumference of the leg; stitch the elastic to the leather circle. Other fabrics can be used, but leather eliminates the need to hem edges and blends better with kitchen chair legs.

What to Do for Existing Scratches
Minor scratches caused by sliding kitchen chairs will buff away with a very fine sand paper or steel wool. Sand or buff only the affected area of the wood floor, and always in the direction of the wood grain. Paste waxes hide scratches on wood furniture and floors, and are available in tones to blend with the wood. Wood repair sticks can be used to fill deep scratches on kitchen tables, chairs, and hardwood floors. Wipe-on, wipe-off conditioning oils will restore the wood furniture's natural beauty; use it to treat floor scratches that have been buffed. Moisture might help raise small dents in hardwood floors by helping the wood to swell. Hold a steam iron just above the affected spot, and apply a shot of steam.