Accidents happen with increased frequency during the holidays. Floors become scratched, cabinets dented, or furniture nicked. And this time of year, as holiday guests flow in and out of the house between Thanksgiving and the New Year, heirlooms and furnishings are at heightened risk. Even a benign Christmas tree can seem like a rude visitor if it gouges the door frame while being carted inside.

The most vulnerable home surface is the floor. Charles Peterson, a flooring expert in Gales Ferry, Conn., and a contributor to Fine Homebuilding magazine, said that if the floor is wood and the scratch is confined to the surface, it can be restored easily enough.

That goes for furniture, too, said Norm Abram, the master carpenter on the television show “This Old House.” If the scratch is just on the surface finish, he suggested lightly wiping it with mineral spirits to clean it, and carefully scuffing the surface with 220-grit sandpaper, a very fine grade, before applying a couple of coats of polyurethane.

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