When dusting wooden furniture, it is difficult not to notice cracks, scratches, and abrasions. All of these are integral companions of time that appear during the use of furniture. Even small defects on the surface are clearly visible. They spoil the perfect appearance of the varnished product, leaving an unpleasant aftertaste.
While cracks in hidden areas can be ignored, those in visible areas should be repaired. After reading this article, you will learn how to remove scratches from furniture using simple improvised means.
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How to remove scratches?
No matter how thorough the care, scratches on furniture during long-term use cannot be avoided. Bedside tables, cabinets, sideboards are damaged by household items, rubbed. Such damage significantly spoils the appearance of the products, worsening the interior of the entire room.
It is difficult to avoid the appearance of gaps. But there are real ways to get rid of them in a matter of minutes. All these methods can be divided into two groups: professional and folk. In the table, we will consider the pros and cons of each of them.
| Professional methods | Folk remedies |
| · have a high cost; | · safe, non-toxic; |
| · quite effective; | · require virtually no costs; |
| · cause difficulties in choosing the right shade. | · do not always cope with deep marks. |
Wax
This is a professional product. Special wax can be found in some furniture stores, hardware supermarkets.
The wax is universal. It can be used for any surface: laminated, wooden, varnished, etc.
The wax is sold in two different variations:
- Soft. Easy to use. This wax just needs to be rubbed into the desired area. Severe damage requires a large amount of material. It is easier to apply wax to wooden furniture with large cracks with a knife or a construction spatula. Wait about fifteen minutes before removing the excess.
Soft wax is used to repair chips, scratches and cracks on wood and laminate surfaces. - Hard. This is an expensive, effective product. It is not worth using without certain skills. Hard wax should be melted, applied to the scratches in a thick layer, and the damaged area should be sanded.
Shoe cream
Some scratches on furniture can be removed using regular shoe polish. Shoe polish should be of high quality. It is better to choose a product of a well-known brand, time-tested. The most difficult part of choosing is choosing a color. The color of the cream should completely match the color of the furniture item. You will not be able to repair a large crack or chip using this method. It will be too noticeable. Shoe polish will only cope with barely noticeable scratches. To restore the area, you need to thoroughly clean the surface, carefully apply the cream, leave it for five minutes, and remove the residue. Such restoration will perfectly hide small scratches, but only for a while. After several wet cleanings, they will again become visible to the naked eye. Therefore, such a procedure will have to be performed at certain intervals.
Brewing black tea
Another proven method of restoring wooden furniture is tea leaves. It is suitable only for shallow, small damage. You will not be able to disguise a large crack with tea leaves. For this work, you should choose strong black tea without additives. Brew a tea bag with boiling water. The liquid should be infused for twenty minutes in order to acquire a rich color. Then it should be applied to a cotton pad, then to the furniture itself. This method is suitable for dark-colored structures. However, you can try to restore light-colored items by adjusting the color of the liquid during infusion.
"Hatch"
This is a professional tool. You can find it in stores selling modern fittings. "Stroke" is suitable for masking only small cracks. It will not cope with deep ones. Such a device is relatively inexpensive. It is intended for laminated, wooden surfaces. The most important thing when choosing a stroke is choosing the right shade. And using such a device is easy.
Let's consider the process of its application step by step:
- surface preparation. The coating must be cleaned of dirt;
- application of the solution. The "Stroke" must be shaken thoroughly and applied to the surface. Several layers are required;
- leveling the coating. After fifteen minutes of application, the surface should be wiped with a damp cloth.
Iodine or machine oil
The simplest drugstore product, iodine, will help eliminate small scratches on furniture. It is suitable for products made of walnut, oak, and mahogany. When working with iodine, do not forget to protect your hands. The product is very stained. You need to use regular medical gloves and a cotton swab. Dissolve a couple of drops of the product in water, then apply it to the scratch with a swab. The same method can be used to eliminate coating defects using machine oil.
Masking deep cracks
If minor damages are easy enough to remove using home methods, then masking deep defects requires the use of only professional means. In particular, putty. Puttying will allow you to achieve a uniform, clean, even coating.
The process of puttying
- Preparing the place. Using sandpaper and a knife, we protect the coating. We remove dirt and degrease.
Using sandpaper, we clean the coating of the damaged area. - Apply the material. Preference should be given to high-quality putty. This should be a material intended only for wood. At this stage, strictly adhere to the manufacturer's recommendations on the preparation of the building material.
Acrylic putty is more suitable for deep dents; if the color does not match, the stain can be touched up with a marker or felt-tip pen. - Rub the surface. Use fine-grained sandpaper.
The easiest way to apply the putty is with a spatula, and the excess should be removed with sandpaper. - We paint. The color of the putty does not always match the shade of the furniture item. If the difference in color is obvious, we use stain. After it dries, we cover the product with varnish.
