How To Repair Furniture Scratches

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Woods article of furniture is prized for its durability and timeless beauty. Unfortunately, the same warm, soft finish that makes information technology then bonny as well makes it susceptible to scuffs, scratches, chips, and gouges. But at that place's an upside—you tin can easily repair minor impairment at domicile by using products like touch-upwardly markers and wax filler sticks to restore the missing color. If yous don't feel similar making a trip to the hardware store, you may also have some luck concealing the scratch with an everyday particular like tea, coffee, iodine, or fifty-fifty a walnut.

1. 1

   Make clean the damaged area thoroughly with a mild soap solution. Combine ane–ii teaspoons (4.9–9.9 mL) of mild liquid dish lather with about ^one⁄₂ gallon (1.9 Fifty) of warm water in a large container. Dampen a soft, clean cloth with the lather solution and employ it to remove dust, dirt, grime, and leftover shine from the area around the scratch.^[1]

   • After cleaning, wipe up whatever standing water and let the surface to air dry completely.
   • A microfiber or terry textile towel volition be perfect for cleaning forest piece of furniture. Both materials are ultra-soft, which means you won't exist risking further scratches.^[2]

2. ii

   Choose a marker in a colour that matches the slice'south stop. Visit your local hardware store or habitation improvement center and head to the paint and stop aisle. There, you'll detect furniture bear upon-up markers in a wide variety of colors. Pick out a shade that virtually closely resembles the tone of the damaged woods.^[3]

   • If you're not sure which color to become with, consider getting more than i. That way, you'll have a ameliorate risk of finding a good match and spare yourself a second trip.
   • Some furniture stores may too carry touch-up markers for DIY home repairs.

   Tip: Snap a clear, well-lit picture of the scratched piece and accept it to the store with y'all. It volition help you runway downwards simply the right color.

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3. three

   Glide the tip of the marker over the scratch until it disappears. Affect-up markers piece of work just like any other marking. Go over the spot as many times equally needed to cover upward the damage completely. It can help to move the mark in multiple directions from several different angles.^[4]

   • Permit the ink to soak into the exposed wood for at least 20-30 seconds before moving on to the next stride.
   • Be conscientious not to spread the ink to any part of the surrounding finish. If you accidentally go ink somewhere information technology's not supposed to be, wipe it up immediately with a damp cloth to keep it from staining.^[5]

4. 4

   Blot the repaired scratch with a newspaper towel to remove excess color. When you lot're satisfied with the coverage y'all've achieved, fold a newspaper towel and employ it to lightly dab at the freshly recolored area. Doing so will soak up any ink continuing on the surface of the woods, preventing it from running, bleeding, or causing moisture-related complications.^[6]

   • Dispose of the newspaper towel correct abroad after employ. Be sure to keep it abroad from other nearby objects and surfaces to avert transferring the color.

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1. i

   Purchase i or more wax filler sticks designed for use on wood surfaces. Most home comeback centers and hardware stores stock these handy little items with paint and other finishing products. Select a stick in a colour similar to that of the piece you lot're rescuing.^[7]

   • If you're torn between two colors, information technology's usually safer to go with the darker ane, every bit shades that are a bit too lite tend to be more than noticeable than those that are a bit likewise nighttime.
   • While you're at it, become alee and selection upward a canister of paste wax, as well. Y'all'll exist using this wax to seal the newly-repaired terminate.

   Tip: Yous tin can also blend two or more divide colors within the scratch to improve approximate the verbal shade of your piece'due south finish.^[viii]

2. two

   Sand crude, uneven scratches with high-grit sandpaper before filling them. Some nicks and gouges have raised edges on one or both sides. Run your finger over the scratch. If there's a marked textural difference, take a sheet of sandpaper and vitrify the area lightly until it'southward completely level.^[9]

   • For best results, use a canvass that'south at to the lowest degree 600-grit. Coarser sandpapers are more than likely to exit scratches, which is exactly the issue you're trying to fix.
   • Restrict your sanding to the scratch itself. Otherwise, you may inadvertently harm the terminate on an next part of the slice.

3. 3

   Rub the stick over the gouge until it's slightly overfilled. Hold the stick confronting the surface of the piece at an angle and push it back and forth over the scratch. Work your way along the length of the scratch until the wax builds up into a layer with a uniform texture and the exposed wood is no longer visible.^[ten]

   • Moving the stick across the scratch rather than parallel with it will force the wax down deeper into the damaged area.
   • If the stick you bought came with an applicator, use it to chip off a small slice of the wax and spread it over the scratch.^[eleven]

4. four

   Scrape off the excess wax using a credit card or similar object. Drag the edge of the card over the filled scratch repeatedly with a light sweeping motion. Use just as much force per unit area every bit needed to remove the upper layer of wax. Although a standard credit card is somewhat flexible, it'southward still rigid plenty to cause scratches if yous're not conscientious.^[12]

   • Break periodically and perform a bear on exam to see whether the area is smooth.

5. 5

   Apply a thin, even glaze of paste wax over the repaired expanse. Scoop upwardly a pea-sized glob of the soft wax with a soft, non-shedding fabric. Dab the wax directly onto the filled scratch, and so use small, smooth circular motions to buff information technology to a lustrous stop. You may need to spread on a second coat if you're up against an especially large gouge or chip.^[13]

   • Paste wax is derived from the wax of the Brazilian Carnauba tree and is completely safe to use on all types of wood furniture.
   • In addition to sealing the scratch, the wax will also baby-sit the wood confronting wet and give information technology a like-new shine.^[14]

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1. 1

   Fifty-fifty out shallow surface scratches with mineral oil and pumice powder. In a small container, combine equal parts oil and powdered pumice to form a thin paste. Apply a bourgeois corporeality of the abrasive paste to the affected area before buffing it thoroughly with actress-fine steel wool scrubbing pad. As y'all polish, the scratch will vanish earlier your very optics.^[15]

   • You tin can snag a bag of powdered pumice for just a few dollars from any major hardware store, as well as some beauty supply stores.
   • The abrasive action of the steel wool and pumice together will gently wear away inconsistencies in the outermost part of the end while the mineral oil nourishes and protects the wood.

2. two

   Use coffee or tea to mask sparse scratches. Pour 3–four tablespoons (44–59 mL) of hot h2o into a mug, and so add a bag of potent black tea or a scoop of instant coffee. Permit the liquid steep for near 5 minutes, then soak up a small amount with a cotton swab and press it firmly into the scratch.^[sixteen]

   • When applied to bare wood, natural compounds in the coffee or tea known equally tannins will substantially act as a natural stain, darkening the exposed wood by a few shades.^[17]
   • Only black tea will produce the desired effect—green, herbal, and other varieties of tea won't impart enough color to disguise well-nigh scratches.

   Tip: Wood stains made from tea and java are also great for bringing out the unique grain patterns in lighter woods.

3. three

   Hide scratches in dark wood surfaces with iodine. Saturate a cotton swab or modest sponge brush with iodine and coax information technology into the center of the scratch. Iodine dries to a dark dark-brown color that's ideal for camouflaging imperfections in woods like cherry, mahogany, rosewood, walnut, and teak.^[18]

   • Concentrate the iodine inside the scratch itself as best you tin. It could stain if it ends up on a neighboring section of the piece.

4. 4

   Rub a shelled walnut onto the scratch to magically erase it in seconds. This one couldn't be easier. Just take a walnut, remove the beat out, and work information technology back and forth over the scratch with virtually the same force per unit area you lot would utilise to erase a pencil mark. Walnuts are rich in earthy oils that can make a fine substitute for finishes of a similar color.^[19]

   • You'll become the best results cracking your own raw walnuts, which typically contain higher concentrations of natural oils.
   • If you don't happen to take any walnuts on paw, another blazon of oily nut, such as pecans or peanuts (or fifty-fifty peanut butter), may also do the trick.^[xx]

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Add New Question

• Question

  How do you fix thin scratches without wood filler?

  

  Tanglewood Sue is a DIY and Upcycling Specialist and the Possessor of Tanglewood Works out of Hyattsville, Maryland. With over nine years of experience, Sue specializes in upcycled painted furniture and other handmade, personalized, and sustainable appurtenances. With her passion for art and reinvention, marketing feel, and Available's Degree in Broadcast Media, Sue has been able to create a business concern that not merely provides quality pieces only empowers customers to create their works through her library of DIY tutorials and live demos as well as DIY supplies.

  

  DIY & Upcycling Specialist

  Skilful Answer

  If the scratch isn't particularly deep, you lot can just sand the wood around the scratch down so that it reaches the same level every bit the bottom of the indentation. That way, the wood volition be uniform.

• Question

  How exercise I repair dents on a white mirror frame?

  

  Fill the dents with caulk or tiny bits of plaster, sandpaper it downward flat, and repaint the mirror.

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• Antique furniture repair is typically best left to the professionals. If you lot're worried about a item solution doing more damage than good to a priceless older slice, it'southward best to consult a qualified furniture proficient.

• Scratches in leather article of furniture are often harder to accost than scratches in forest piece of furniture. Serious impairment and wear often require professional person attending, but yous could effort fixing smaller defects yourself.

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• No matter which method you go with, it's important to make sure that you don't get out any excess textile on the scratch or any part of the surrounding cease. Most woods don't take well to wet, harsh oils, acids, and similar substances, which could contribute to premature deterioration.

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Things You'll Need

• Mild liquid dish soap
• Warm water
• Microfiber or terry cloth towel
• Small container
• Furniture impact-up mark
• Newspaper towel

• Wax filler stick
• Credit carte du jour or similar flexible plastic carte
• High-grit sandpaper (optional—600-grit or higher)
• Hair dryer or heat gun (optional)
• Paste wax
• Non-shedding textile

• Mineral oil
• Powdered pumice
• Blackness tea
• Instant coffee
• Iodine
• Cotton swab
• Extra-fine steel wool scrubbing pad
• Sponge brush (optional)

About This Article

Article Summary X

To fix scratches in your wooden furniture, try using a forest-colored felt tip. You can detect felt tips in a variety of woods tones to friction match your furniture in home comeback and hardware stores. Only rub the marking on the scratch to blend it in with the wood. Or, apply a shelled walnut, which works slap-up on light scratches. To use instant coffee to cover up scratches, but mix 1 tablespoon of coffee granules with a fiddling hot water to make a thick paste. And then, rub the paste onto the scratch with a cotton brawl and wipe abroad an excess with a dry cloth. For more than tips, including how to comprehend up furniture scratches with black tea, read on!

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Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Fix-Scratches-in-Furniture

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