Touch Up Scratches on Furniture

Wood furniture can be both beautiful and functional, but it does need a certain amount of care to keep it looking its best. Scratches, indentations, gouges, and stains can all accumulate on a piece of furniture with regular usage. Learning how to repair these small defects is essential to taking care of your wood furniture. The guide below will cover some of the basic steps in learning how to touch up scratches on furniture, both on solid wood surfaces and on other surfaces like glass and laminate.

Steps

Touch Up Very Small Scratches in Furniture

  1. Break open a walnut or pecan. Very small scratches that need to be touched up quickly can actually be repaired using only a walnut or pecan. Begin by breaking the meat of the nut open so that the nut's oils are exposed.
  2. Rub the broken nut across the scratch. Gently rub the nut back and forth along the scratch in the wood surface. The oils in the nut will naturally fill in and darken the scratched area, lending the exposed raw wood a finished look. This technique works well for quickly minimizing the appearance of small surface imperfections.

Fill in Numerous Small Surface Scratches

  1. Obtain some paste wax and steel wool. If you have a wood surface that is covered in many small scratches, you can touch them up using paste wax, which is sometimes sold as "finishing wax." The wax is best applied using No. 0000 steel wool.
  2. Apply the paste wax across the entire wood surface. Place a small dab of the wax onto the steel wool and apply it in smooth, circular motions. Aim to apply as thin a layer of wax as possible to avoid a finished appearance that is hazy or splotchy.
  3. Allow the wax to dry onto the wood furniture. After applying the wax, give it about 30 minutes to dry. Longer times may be required in cold or humid rooms.
  4. Buff the paste wax into the wood. Use a soft cloth to buff the wood surface, removing excess wax and lending a lustrous sheen to the wood. The small surface scratches will be filled in with the wax and will be minimized in appearance.

Repair Deep Scratches in Wood Furniture

  1. Purchase a wax stick. Wax sticks can be purchased at hardware stores, where they are sold for use in patching deep scratches and gouges in wood furniture. They are often available in multiple shades, so you should try to match the wax stick to the wood's existing finish.
  2. Run the wax stick along the gouge. Applying firm pressure, run the wax stick lengthwise along the deep scratch. As you do this, the scratch should fill in with wax. You may need to make several passes for very deep or awkwardly shaped gouges.
  3. Remove the excess wax from the scratch. When the cut is completely filled with wax, drag a putty knife (or the edge of a credit card) across the surface of the wood to remove any wax that is sitting above the surface. Allow the wax to dry and then buff it with a soft cloth.

Touch Up Scratches in Glass Furniture

  1. Prepare a scratch removal compound. You can minimize the appearance of scratches in glass tabletops or cabinet doors by buffing a scratch removal compound into them. Make this compound by mixing together 2 tablespoons (30 ml) each of jeweler's rouge (can be purchased from a jeweler), glycerin (can be purchase from a pharmacy), and tap water. Stir these ingredients together in a small bowl.
  2. Rub the compound into the scratched glass. Use a soft cloth to gently rub the compound over the scratch using smooth, circular motions. Do this for about 30 seconds, and then allow the compound to dry into the scratch for another 30 seconds.
  3. Wash away the scratch removal compound. You can wash the compound away using mild soap and water. Note that the scratch will begin to reappear in the glass after about 6 months, after which you can reapply the compound if desired.

Touch Up Scratches on Laminate Surfaces

  1. Purchase a set of touch-up markers. Small scratches in laminate furniture can be easily minimized by using specially designed touch-up markers. These markers are often packaged along with laminate furniture, but you can also find them at hardware stores and office supply stores that sell laminate office furniture. They are often sold in sets, but you should try to match the marker's color to your wood tone if you can purchase the markers individually.
  2. Color in the scratch with the marker. Use the touch-up marker in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Usually this will involve simply rubbing the marker's tip along the scratch a few times to fill it in.
  3. Buff the color in with a soft cloth. After some of the marker's ink has been deposited into the scratch, rub the area gently with a soft, clean cloth. This will help blend the color into the surrounding wood and will remove any excess ink.

Tips

  • If you need to match a raw, exposed scratch to an existing dark finish, you can apply wood stain carefully using an artist's brush to the scratched area.
  • The techniques mentioned above for wood furniture, including using a walnut, paste wax, or a wax stick, can also be used to touch up scratches in wood laminate.
  • If the wood will be painted after you fill the scratch, you can use wood putty to fill in damaged areas. Wood putty will not provide an attractive appearance if used with a transparent stain, however.

Things You'll Need

  • Wood furniture
  • Walnut or pecan
  • Paste wax
  • No. 0000 steel wool
  • Soft cloth
  • Wax stick
  • Putty knife
  • Wood stain
  • Artist's brush
  • Jeweler's rouge
  • Glycerin
  • Water
  • Bowl
  • Wire whisk
  • Mild soap
  • Laminate touch-up marker

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Sources and Citations

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