Unless you live in a museum, your furniture takes a lot of hits. Wet glasses leave behind white rings. Daily use wears away the finish on the edges of tables and chairs. And then there are all the little scratches, dents, and divots that mysteriously appear on wood surfaces. Don't despair.This kind of superficial damage can be fixed quickly and easily without harming your furniture or your wallet. (If you have a fine piece of antique furniture, you may want to leave repair to a professional restorer.)
These easy repair techniques will work on any clear finish — lacquer, varnish, polyurethane, or shellac. You'll find the few materials you'll need, such as denatured alcohol, wax sticks, and touch-up markers, in the paint and finishes aisle at most home-improvement stores. Look for scratch-cover polish in the cleaning-supplies section. Before tackling any repairs, clean the furniture thoroughly with a solution of dishwashing liquid or Murphy Oil Soap and water to remove all wax, grease, oil, or polish. Once you've cleaned the piece, make repairs in this order: white water rings first, followed by minor surface scratches, deep scratches, and then dings and nicks. After that, all you need do to keep a finish looking its best is to dust with a damp cloth, wipe up spills as soon as possible, and occasionally clean off any grease and dirt with mild dishwashing soap and water.
Stains, Chips, and Scratches
Water Stains
White rings, caused when water vapor penetrates into a finish, can be removed by wiping them gently with a cloth barely dampened with denatured alcohol. (Black rings indicate damaged wood and require complete removal of the surrounding finish before any repair can be attempted.) Too much alcohol can dull the finish. If that happens, restore a satin sheen by rubbing with extra-fine 0000 steel wool and paste wax. To bring back a gloss finish, use auto polishing compound applied with a rag. To make the repair blend in, go over the damaged area and the entire adjacent surface.
Shallow Chips
Where a clear finish is chipped but the underlying color is intact, fill the ding with a few drops of clear nail polish. After the polish dries, sand flush with 600-grit sandpaper. To restore the sheen on satin finishes, rub with 0000 steel wool and paste wax; for gloss finishes, use auto polishing compound and a rag.
Large Scratches and Worn Edges
Felt-tip touch-up markers come in a variety of wood tones to match common furniture finishes. Use them to color large scratches or edges where the stain has worn away. Apply only to damaged areas, and wipe immediately if any gets on the neighboring finish.
Apply a coat of paste wax over the repair and the entire adjacent surface to impart an even sheen.
By: Michael Dresdner
Welcome, my name is Michael Hassler and have been repairing furniture since 1992.
Thats over 17 years of experiance, and during this time I have established a reputation for excellence unmatched in the furniture repair industry. My personal success has always come from providing home owners and businesses with an affordable quality service. Not only do I specialize in furniture repair and touch-up, but also repair and touch-up for your specialty items such as millwork, paneling, doors and banisters, cabinetry, mantels and hardwood floors.