6 Quick fixes for scratched furniture

Quick Touch-Ups

So you need to touch-up some scratches in your wood furniture? No wood touch-up pens, blend sticks, and special repair kits for this girl! Being an avid DIYer, and and lover of all things repurposed, you know I cannot use a packaged product for its intended use! Besides, let’s save the stain markers for the art projects!

  1. Sharpie marker, my favorite of all time! It hides a magnitude of sins, including paint splatters on black jeans. Make sure you have a slightly damp rag before you start. Color over the scratch with a Sharpie or other permanent marker, making sure to color in all of the bare wood. Use the damp rag to quickly wipe the spot you colored. The rag will remove excess off the undamaged wood surface, but the marker has now stained the scratch. Do not use a black marker on light or medium stained wood! This works well on black, ebony, and espresso finishes.

  2. Coffee Grounds. Use a q-tip to wipe damp coffee grounds over the scratch. Let it sit several hours and then wipe off. A second application will make the scratch darker if needed. This works well on medium to dark colored wood and oak finishes.
  3. Iodine on a q-tip blends well on darker and redder finishes like mahogany.
  4. Eye Brow Pencil. A light auburn colored eye brown pencil colors scratches in lighter colored woods.
  5. Shoe Polish. If you have a color that closely matches or is a little bit darker than the wood finish, apply in the direction of the scratch, and buff off excess. Remember, a darker scratch blends better than a lighter one!
  6. Crayon (why not?) Chose a color as close to the wood finish as possible. Color over the scratch several times until there is even coverage over the scratch. Use a soft rag to blend and buff off excess wax.

Comments

  1. Lynda Arehart

    What about on light colored finishes? I bought an old bookcase which is painted an off white and I really don’t want to repaint it, but there is a green scrape on one edge from someone moving it and it won’t wash off. Any suggestions? Plus I’ve washed the entire piece and there is still some dirt that I can’t get off.

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