Wood furniture can be both beautiful and functional, but some care is needed to keep it looking its best. Scratches, grooves, grooves and stains can all accumulate on a piece of furniture as a result of regular use. Learning to repair these small defects is essential to taking care of your wooden furniture. This guide will cover some of the basic steps for learning how to touch up scratches on furniture, both on solid wood surfaces and on other surfaces such as glass and laminate.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Touch Up Tiny Scratches on Furniture
Step 1. Open a walnut or pecan nut
Very small scratches that need to be touched up quickly can actually be repaired using just a walnut or pecan nut. Begin to open the kernel of the walnut, so as to let the walnut oil come out.
Step 2. Rub the open nut on the scratch
Gently rub the walnut back and forth along the scratch on the wooden surface. The oil contained in the walnut will fill and darken the scratched area, giving the raw wood a finished look. This technique works well to make small surface imperfections barely visible very quickly.
Method 2 of 5: Fill In Many Small Surface Scratches
Step 1. Get some polishing wax and steel wool
If you have a wooden surface full of minor scratches, you can touch them up using polishing wax, sometimes sold as a "wax finish". The best way to apply the wax is to use steel wool n. 0000.
Step 2. Apply the polishing wax all over the wooden surface
Put a small amount of wax on the steel wool and apply it with a uniform and circular motion. Aim to apply as thin a layer of wax as possible to avoid getting a fuzzy or mottled finished result.
Step 3. Let the wax dry on the wooden cabinet
After applying the wax, wait about 30 minutes for it to dry. In the case of cold or humid rooms, it may take longer.
Step 4. Polish the wax onto the wood
Use a soft cloth to polish the wood surface, removing excess wax and adding shine to the wood. Small superficial scratches will be filled with wax and will be barely visible.
Method 3 of 5: Repair Deep Scratches on Wood Furniture
Step 1. Purchase wax sticks
Stick wax can be purchased from the hardware store, where it is sold to cover deep grooves and scratches on wood furniture. It is often available in different shades of color, so you should try to match the wax stick to the finish of your furniture.
Step 2. Run the wax stick along the groove
Using strong pressure, run the wax stick lengthwise over the deep scratch. During this operation, the scratch should fill with wax. You may have to go over the wax several times if you have very deep or irregularly shaped grooves.
Step 3. Remove excess wax from the scratch
Once the cut is completely filled with wax, run a putty knife (or the edge of a credit card) over the wooden surface to remove any remaining wax residue on the surface. Let the wax dry and then polish the surface with a damp cloth.
Method 4 of 5: Touch Up Scratches on Glass Furniture
Step 1. Prepare a compound to remove scratches
You can minimize the appearance of scratches on the tabletop or cabinet doors by polishing the surface with a compound to remove the scratches. Get this mixture by mixing 2 tablespoons (30ml) each with polishing lipstick (can be purchased from a goldsmith), glycerin (can be purchased at the pharmacy) and tap water. Mix these ingredients together in a bowl.
Step 2. Apply the compound to the scratched glass
Use a soft cloth to gently spread the mixture over the scratch in an even, circular motion. Do this for about 30 seconds, then let the mixture dry for another 30 seconds.
Step 3. Rinse the mixture to remove scratches
You can rinse the mixture with water and a neutral detergent. Be careful as the scratch will start to reappear on the glass after about 6 months, and at that point you can reapply the compound if you wish.
Method 5 of 5: Touch Up Scratches on Laminated Surfaces
Step 1. Purchase a set of touch-up pens
Small scratches on laminate furniture can easily be minimized by using specially designed touch-up markers. These markers are often sold together with laminate furniture, but you can also find them at hardware stores or office supply stores that sell laminate furniture. They are often sold in series, but if you can buy the markers individually, you should try to match the color of the marker to the shade of the wood.
Step 2. Color the scratch with the marker
Use the touch-up pen following the manufacturer's instructions. Usually it is a simple matter of passing the tip of the marker over the scratch a few times to fill it in.
Step 3. Polish the color with a soft cloth
After a little ink from the marker has settled inside the scratch, gently rub the area with a soft, clean cloth. This will help harmonize the color with the surrounding surface and eliminate excess ink.
Advice
- If you need to harmonize an untreated visible scratch with a dark finish, you can carefully apply a wood dye to the area where the scratch is present using an artist's brush.
- The aforementioned techniques for wooden furniture, including the use of a walnut, polishing wax or stick wax, can also be used to touch up scratches on laminated wood.
- If the wood will be painted after covering the scratch, you can use wood putty to cover the damaged area. However, wood putty will not give an elegant look when used with a clear tint.
