How To Hide Scratches On Wood Furniture

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

How to mask scratches and chips on furniture: 10 effective ways

Over the years, wooden furniture loses its former novelty and aesthetic appeal, as it becomes covered with scratches, cracks and abrasions. This greatly spoils the appearance of the interior, so the furniture just needs to be restored in a timely manner, because it is impractical and expensive to purchase a new one. Moreover, there are both specialized and simple home remedies for repairing minor damage, which you will learn about from the article.

Soft wax

This special tool works well for cracks, scratches, scuffs, as well as not too deep dents and chips. Suitable for varnished, wood and laminated surfaces.

Soft wax comes in different shades and if you are in doubt between the two colors, choose a lighter one.

A soft wax restoration is done as follows:

1. Apply wax to a felt rag and rub in a circular motion into the slightly damaged surface. For deep cracks and scratches, use a trowel.
2. Wait 15 minutes and remove excess soft wax with a clean, dry knife or spatula.
3. Polish the surface with a damp cloth.

After 12 hours, you should evaluate the correctness of the selected shade and, if it does not quite match, buy wax for a tone darker or lighter, depending on the result, and apply the last top coat, re-cleaning and polishing.

Shoe cream

Shoe polish is suitable for the restoration of minor scratches and superficial abrasions. You need to purchase only a high-quality cream of the most suitable color.

You can disguise surface scuffs and scratches with shoe cream like this:

1. Clean the furniture surface from dust and dry if wet.
2. Gently apply the cream to the damage and leave for 30 minutes to fully absorb.
3. Remove excess with a lint-free cloth.

This method of restoration is short-lived, because after 3-4 wet cleaning, the cream will have to be reapplied, but before the guests arrive, it will quickly put the furniture in order.

Infusion of strong tea

Superficial damage can be masked with an infusion of ordinary black tea, and a bag without additives will also work.

You need to do the following:

1. Pour boiling water over the sachet, cover the cup, for example, with a small plate.
2. Infuse tea for at least 20 minutes.
3. Dip a cotton pad in a strong tea infusion and blot small scratches with it.

Tea will stain the bald spots and the furniture will look updated.

Furniture touch

"Shtrih" is a special professional liquid product with a wide palette of shades, designed to eliminate shallow damage on furniture, which is sold in hardware and hardware stores.

You need to apply "Barcode" like this:

1. Clean the damaged surface from dirt.
2. Shake up the product and apply on lesions in several layers.
3. After 15 minutes, wipe the treated area with a damp cloth to smooth out the edges.
4. Cover with clear varnish if processing was carried out on varnished furniture.

Iodine solution

For the restoration of oak or walnut surfaces, an iodine solution is ideal.

You can remove minor scratches and rags with iodine like this:

1. Put on gloves, take a cotton swab and dip it in iodine solution.
2. Anoint the damage and allow to dry.
3. Wipe off excess with a tissue.

If the iodine is lighter than the coating, then several more layers can be spread.

Machine oil

Masking scuffs with machine oil is similar to processing with an iodine solution.

You need to do this:

1. Dip a stick in machine oil.
2. Apply it on scuffs.
3. After 15 minutes, wipe off the excess with a damp cloth.

Putty

Deep scratches and chips can be repaired with a special wood putty, since it can be used to achieve perfect leveling of the damaged coating.

Restoration process with putty:

1. Sand the damaged area with sandpaper.
2. Remove dirt and degrease the surface with alcohol.
3. Apply the putty with a putty knife, gently pressing it into the depression until the damage is filled to the brim.
4. Wait until it dries and sand the area with fine-grained sandpaper.
5. If the color of the putty is very different from the main one, then on top you can paint the surface with a stain of a suitable shade.
6. If the furniture is lacquered, then in the end you need to use varnish over the putty.

Walnut

Walnut kernels are perfect for restoring shallow scratches.

The process will look like this:

1. Remove the kernel from the shell.
2. Rub the nut over the crack until it fills in the crack.
3. Wait 10 minutes until dry.
4. Wipe off excess crumbs from the sealed surface.

Mayonnaise

Cracks in unpolished natural furniture can be repaired with mayonnaise.

The process looks like this:

1. Apply mayonnaise without cracking, press it in a little and do not wipe it so that it is absorbed.
2. After 2-3 hours, apply it again in the same place. If the crack is too wide, then the procedure must be repeated for several days in a row.
3. After the wet wood swells and its edges join, you can stop applying mayonnaise, and remove the excess from the surface with a damp cloth.
4. Paint over the crack with a suitable stain on top, and then polish with fine-grained sandpaper.

In addition to mayonnaise, natural wax and silicone filler, found in high-quality furniture polishes, have a similar effect on cracks.

A solution of vinegar and vegetable oil

Small scratches from light-colored wooden furniture can be removed with a solution of vinegar and vegetable oil.

The process will look like this:

1. Mix 20 g of vinegar and 50 g of olive oil.
2. Apply the solution to the damage.
3. After a day, wipe the treated area with a soft cloth.

Using these methods, you will certainly be able to return your wardrobe or chest of drawers to its previous look, without spending a lot of money on the services of a master or the purchase of new furniture.