Repair Furniture Nicks and
Scratches
Overview:
Furniture survives in a near combat
environment in the home. From the fair wear and tear of
normal living and usage, wood made furniture is nicked,
scratched, and sometimes broken. At some point it needs
replacing or we need to repair those furniture nicks and
scratches. By repairing them you can save a lot of money.
Replacement can
be very expensive if the piece of furniture is made from
hard wood such as maple, mahogany, or some other exotic
wood. If the particular piece of furniture is a family
heirloom you do not want to throw it out. You can do a
furniture restoration as a DIY project.
Generally wood
furniture repair of nicks and scratches is quite easy without significantly altering its appearance. Furniture
nicks and gouges are really only displaced wood, meaning
wood material has not been removed from the surface. It just
has a difference color from the undamaged wood around it.
However, severe gouges and scratches are an example of
removed wood material from the surface.
In
either case nicks, gouges, and scratches can be repaired by
simply re-coloring (apply a new finish) to the damaged area.
The damaged will still be present but it will blend in to
the finished surface and have a more rustic appearance.
Another method is to use a wood filler to fill sever nicks,
gouges, and scratches.
You can
temporarily repair scratches and watermarks by simply wiping
mayonnaise over the damaged area. Technically the oil in the
mayonnaise will lift the watermark and restore it to the
former color. Lemon oil may be used also but these methods
are not as effective long time repairs. For a permanent
repair the damaged area must be re-colored (painted or
stained).
If the damaged
area is severe it should be filled with wood filler before
refinishing. Isolate the damaged area with masking tape and
fill the damaged area with a natural wood filler. After
drying, lightly sand the filler and refinish with paint or
stain and apply a thin coat of wipe on varnish. When the
varnish has dried sand the area with 0000 steel wool and wax
with a furniture paste wax.
If the damage
area is less severe, clean the damage by lightly sanding and
re-stain the damaged area being careful to match the color.
I recommend a water based stain. It comes as a powder that
is mixed with warm water or alcohol. One of the best
features of using a water base stain is that that it can be
mixed to match the desired color by adding additional powder
to the mix. It is also a lot less expensive than oil based
stain. Let the stain
dry and add additional stain as necessary to match the
color. When the stain is thoroughly dry, apply a coat of
light varnish, let dry and sand using 0000 steel wool and
wax with a furniture paste wax.
 Never discard
damaged wood furniture as it is very expensive to replace.
Repairing it does not require a fully furnished woodshop
either. These suggested repair techniques can be performed
by most anyone at very little cost.
The picture
displayed has a repaired nick performed by this suggestion
that is nearly impossible to detect.
Related
articles:
Removing Water Stains From Hardwood Floors
Arranging and Decorating Bookcases
Marble Furniture Top Cleaning and Repair
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