Can We Fix These Dents?

Some inspections just break my heart. This was a nice old historic home that was being restored. Old furniture was moved out to allow for plaster repair and re-painting, but the piano was simply rolled out of the way. The result was some nice deep tracks across this floor.

I have been on many inspections over the years looking at dents in floors. Some seem to be related to carelessness, like these piano grooves, or accidents, like where something gets dropped. Worn shoes and chair legs cause a lot of dents, as do sand and grit. Dog toenails leave dents and digs.

Many of my dent inspections are related to consumer expectations and sales claims. We as an industry know that wood flooring dents. And some woods dent easier than others. And we know that things consumers do in buildings can and will dent wood floors. So my first question today is: Why do we keep over-selling the hardness properties? Sure, hickory is harder than walnut, and some exotics are even harder. But they will all more than likely dent at some time during their useful life span.

My second question is: Can we fix these piano dents? In many other woodworking areas, wetting a dent can swell the wood and make the dent disappear. Has anyone had success in this kind of situation?