Quick Repairs for Dings and Dents

Barnwood Furniture

View this helpful video for multiple ways of touching up your reclaimed barnwood furniture.

Touch-Up/Repair Information for Solid Wood Furniture:

Touch Up Very Small Scratches in Furniture

Using a Walnut or Pecan
1.
Break open a walnut or pecan.
Very small scratches that need to be touched up quickly can actually be repaired using only a walnut or pecan.
Begin by breaking the meat of the nut open so that the nut's oils are exposed.

2.
Rub the broken nut across the scratch.
Gently rub the nut back and forth along the scratch in the wood surface.
The oils in the nut will naturally fill in and darken the scratched area, lending the exposed raw wood a finished look.
This technique works well for quickly minimizing the appearance of small surface imperfections.

Using Paste Wax and Steel Wool
1.
Obtain some paste wax and steel wool.
If you have a wood surface that is covered in many small scratches, you can touch them up using paste wax, which is sometimes sold as "finishing wax".
The wax is best applied using No. 0000 steel wool.

2.
Apply the paste wax across the entire wood surface.
Place a small dab of the wax onto the steel wool and apply it in smooth, circular motions.
Aim to apply as thin a layer of wax as possible to avoid a finished appearance that is hazy or splotchy.

3.
Allow the wax to dry onto the wood furniture.
After applying the wax, give it about 30 minutes to dry.
Longer times may be required in cold or humid rooms.

4.
Buff the paste wax into the wood.
Use a soft cloth to buff the wood surface, removing excess wax and lending a lustrous sheen to the wood.
The small surface scratches will be filled in with the wax and will be minimized in appearance.

Repair Deeper Scratches in Wood Furniture

Use a Wax Stick Similar In Color To the Wood
1.
Purchase a wax stick.
Wax sticks can be purchased at hardware stores, where they are sold for use in patching deep scratches and gouges in wood furniture.
They are often available in multiple shades, so you should try to match the wax stick to the wood's existing finish.

2.
Run the wax stick along the gouge.
Applying firm pressure, run the wax stick lengthwise along the deep scratch.
As you do this, the scratch should fill in with wax.
You may need to make several passes for very deep or awkwardly shaped gouges.

3.
Remove the excess wax from the scratch.
When the cut is completely filled with wax, drag a putty knife (or the edge of a credit card) across the surface of the wood to remove any wax that is sitting above the surface.
Allow the wax to dry and then buff it with a soft cloth.