That first nasty scratch; whether it’s on the door of your new car or on the top of your new table, nothing is more aggravating or disappointing. Regardless of how stunning the furniture is overall, when you look at it, all you see is the scratch. In your mind, the scratch is all your guests see, too.
What can be done about that unsightly scratch, short of having the whole piece refinished? Professional furniture refinishers have several techniques that can be safely adapted for home use. The supplies needed are readily available and the methods are simple to learn.
Invisible to the Casual Observer
Close inspection of a repaired scratch can almost always be seen, even when the repair is done by a professional; a pro’s goal is to repair the scratch so that it is invisible at arm’s length. Amongst professional refinishers, such repairs are said to be invisible to the casual observer. If you know where the scratch was, you can usually find the repair, but the otherwise the repair goes unnoticed.
A Natural-looking Repair
The simplest way to get a good repair is to make the scratch look like the natural markings already found in the wood. Mineral streaks, small knots, grain and color variations, sap pockets, and flecking combine to give each cut of wood a distinctive look. When your repair matches the color of the grain or other markings rather than the overall color of the wood stain, you can achieve a more natural look.
Acrylic Artist Paint Technique
The supplies for this technique can be bought at your local craft or art supply store. You’ll need four small tubes of acrylic artist paint: burnt sienna, raw sienna, burnt umber, and raw umber. Mixed together, these four colors can duplicate almost any color found in finished wood grain. You’ll also need a few small artist brushes and a bottle of clear acrylic lacquer.
Now for the fun part: matching the color. Take a piece of cardboard or a paper plate to use as a palette, an squeeze a small amount of the four colors onto the plate. If you are matching a dark wood like walnut, start with the burnt umber and gradually lighten it up with raw sienna. If you are mixing a light color, start with the raw sienna and darken it with one of the “burnt” colors There’s no exact science to color matching; it’s all trial and error. The color will darken as it dries, so make your final color slightly lighter than what you want.When you are happy with the color, apply a small amount of color to the scratch. If the color doesn’t look good, wipe out the color while its still wet and try again.
Artist acrylic paint dries slowly so it is easy to work with. When the repair is dry, paint over the scratch with the liquid flat acrylic. Flat lacquer reflects less light and will likely make the scratch less noticeable.
The Crayon Technique
Paint and hardware stores usually carry colored wax sticks made for repairing furniture scratches. These sticks come in just a few colors, though, and it is tough to find ones that will actually come close to matching your furniture. These repair sticks are just colored wax, like a Crayola crayon. Crayons come in many more colors, and work just as fine as the furniture-repair wax sticks. For deep scratches, a crayon is your best choice for repair.
Supplies needed for this repair include a crayon or wax stick, a piece of stiff plastic (like an old credit card), a rag, some naptha (lighter fluid) and some 0000 grade steel wool.
When all your supplies are assembled, rub the wax into the scratch; be sure to overfill slightly. With the credit card, scrape off the excess wax until the scratch is level with the surface. If there is wax remaining around the edges of the scratch, dampen a corner of the rag with naptha and wipe it away. Naptha is benign and will not harm the finish. If you pushed too hard with the credit card and scuffed the
surface, buff lightly in the direction of the grain with the 0000 steel wool.
The Touchup Marker Technique
You can buy furniture touchup markers at most hardware and paint stores. These markers are similar to Magic Markers but they are filled with furniture stain rather than ink. These markers have wide felt applicator tips. Usually, these tips are much wider than a scratch, and often make scratches more obvious rather than less obvious.
The proper way to use these markers is to rub the marker along the length of the scratch until the color fills the scratch. Then, quickly lick your finger and rub the excess stain from around the scratch. This technique will minimize the scratch and not make a mess on your furniture.
These three techniques will enable you to make acceptable repairs to most scratches on your furniture. You will still know where the scratch is, but chances are your guests wont.
About the Author
Wayne Jordan has been a restorer of pianos and antique furniture for over 30 years. His restoration work can be found in the VMI Museum, the Maryland Governor’s Mansion, and fine homes throughout the Mid Atlantic states. He is a Certified Personal Property Appraiser and Auctioneer. Visit his website at http://www.waynejordanauctions.com and his blog at http://www.wayne-jordan.blogspot.com