To cover scratches on wood furniture, rub a matching color crayon into the scratch and smooth with the fingers. Heat and oil from your finger will blend in the crayon. Alternatively, cover with petroleum jelly overnight. Rub in well, remove excess and buff.
To fix light scratches or blemishes on walnut, rub the scratch with a piece of walnut or pecan meat, then wax with the product you normally use.
For mahogany, rub the scratch with a dark brown crayon or a brown commercial wax product, then buff with your fingers, then a cloth.
For red mahogany, apply ordinary iodine with a small brush and wax with the product you normally use.
For maple, add iodine to denatured alcohol to get the right color and apply with a q-tip, then dry, wax and buff.
For ebony, use black shoe polish, black eyebrow pencil or black crayon.
For teak, rub very gently with 0000 steel wool. Rub in equal amounts of linseed oil and turpentine.
By Ron from Cortez, CO
This is a page about covering up nicks and scratches on wood. In addition to store bought scratch repair items, you can try instant coffee and crayons to try covering up scratches and nicks on your furniture.
How can I remove a couple scratches on a dark wood table?
An antique dealer told me this useful trade secret for covering up light scratches on dark wood furniture.
An antique dealer told me this useful trade secret for covering up light scratches on dark wood furniture.
I put a flower pot on my sister's new dining room table while I was arranging flowers and have scratched her table as I was turning the pot while adjusting the flowers.
A tip for covering scratches on dark furniture - Using a partially green walnut husk, simply rub the scratch until you're satisfied with the darkening effect.
I bought a nice oak look cabinet at a thrift store for my redecorated bathroom but it had some scratches and nicks. At the dollar store, I bought a bottle of brown liquid shoe wax and with a cotton ball went gently over the nicks, scratches and worn spots.
For furniture scratches, rub the meat of the walnut (no shell!) over any scratches or nicks. Test the method on a less visible area to be sure it doesn't darken the wood.
A couple days ago I was given a lovely old dresser, oak I think. Unfortunately it got scratched in a couple tiny spots in the move. I didn't have any kind of scratch cover on hand.
How do you fix scratches on a coffee table?
By Helen Bra
If this is a stained and finished wood surface you can sand down and refinish the table or the use the product - "Liquid Gold" which is a kind of furniture polish that minimizes scratches. You might also try using wood filler and stain the filler to match. I have never tried it but I have been told by furniture restorers that you can add the stain to the wood filler.
Good Luck!
How can I get rid of small scratches on my dark wooden table?
By Ginseng from England
I have successfully used brown shoe polish, both solid and liquid.
Use shoe polish (paste or wax-based) to touch up nicks and scratches on door frames and furniture. It's quick and easy to use, and when rubbed in really makes the scratch seem to disappear. By Kathy
I've just purchased a second hand table. In transport it was scratched by accident. It's a clear varnished maple coloured table. The scratches are white and quite deep. Does anyone have any ideas how to cover them? Thanks.
By dolly123 from UK
You can buy some kind of sticks in different colors that if you can find one in an identical color or close to it, you can use that to fill in the scratch. On dark furniture nothing beats the dark Old English polish.
Best way to remove scratch from an oak table top?
Jerry from Lee's Summit, MO
You can't really remove the scratch, but you can fill it in the so it will blend with the rest of the wood. Use a crayon which is a close match to the oak table top. Gently melt the crayon to soften it and apply over the scratch, then buff with a soft cloth.
It really works!
You might try lightly sanding it if the scratch isn't deep and apply a matching oak stain over the entire table top. I worked out a sizeable scratch on an old cherry sewing machine cabinet and then restained over the drawer and you couldn't tell it was ever scratched and I used an electric sander. If you try this out, you will need a protective finish.
