HOW TO REPAIR AND DISGUISE SCRATCHES ON YOUR WOOD FURNITURE | YOUTUBE VIDEO

Hey sweet friends! Have you ever fallen for a gorgeous piece of wood furniture only to see scratches staring back at you? Total heart-sinker, right?! Whether it’s thrifted, handed down, or just a well-loved piece in your home, those marks can make a piece look old and tired before its time. That’s exactly what happened with this $30 Facebook Marketplace find. The gentleman was selling it because it had scratches across the top—but the craftsmanship and classic lines were too good to pass up.

Instead of painting, today I’m sharing how I decided to keep her original beauty and how I camouflaged the scratches away. I’m not a professional furniture restorer, but wait until you see this before-and-after! With a simple (and affordable!) wood repair kit, you can refresh your furniture in minutes!

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Here’s the Facebook Marketplace 3-drawer Bombay-style chest I started with, gorgeous shape and style. Look at the beautiful wood!

The top had some smaller scuff marks and a few deeper scratches.

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SCRATCHED FPM DRESSER MAKEOVER

Here’s how it all came together. This is a beginner-friendly step-by-step tutorial on how to keep an original finish and fix scratches or imperfections with a scratch kit. This was my first time using a kit like this, so if I can do it – YOU can do it!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

3 Drawer Wood Chest  – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Auto Sponge
Shop Towels
Sanding Sponge
Best Dang Waxing Brush
Big Mama’s Butta 
Antique Gold Gilding Wax
Wood Scratch Repair Kit
Tinted Wax Stick | Touch Up Marker
Soft Lint Free Cloth

CLEANING

I started by removing the drawers and giving the inside of the drawers and the inside of the dresser a thorough cleaning with this heavy-duty furniture cleaner. For the outside wood of the dresser, I didn’t want to damage the finish, so I cleaned it with a damp sponge with warm water.

ASSESSING THE SCRATCHES

Not all scratches are created equal. This dresser top had some very light surface scratches, which can usually be touched up with a touch-up marker. There were also a few deeper scratches on this dresser. I was hoping the filler and the matching colors would take care of those 100%.

REPAIRING SCRATCHES

The kit I picked up from Amazon included a wood filler in a tube along with mini putty knife to help apply it to the scratches. Once I had all the deeper scratches filled (it doesn’t work on the lighter scratches — I tried!) I waited for it to dry and then removed the excess with a damp cloth. I’m sharing this step-by-step process ‘in action’ on the YouTube video tutorial at the end of this post.

While I was waiting for the filler to dry, I picked 3 tubes of the tinted filler that most closely resembled the wood tones in the grain. The colors can also be mixed if you don’t find an exact match.

Now for the fun part! Small brushes are included in the kit, but I chose to grab one of my favorite artist’s brushes. I added the three stain colors onto a paper plate and started filling in the scratches with the appropriate colors. I painted dark lines where the wood grain was dark and filled in the lighter areas with the lighter tone. To blend the colors in nicely, I used my finger. This works nicely to smooth it all out.

The two larger scars on this dresser top were still too noticeable for my liking. I brought out my matching wax filler and melted small amounts into the deepest part of the groove. The wax dries within a few seconds, and then, using a credit card, I scraped the excess off. Then again, I used the matching wood stains to blend everything all in.

I followed these steps until the entire dresser top was filled. For the tiny scratches and the little wear around the edges, I used a touch-up marker. These markers work like magic and they are super easy to use. Gently run the touch-up marker along the scratch or worn spot on your stained furniture, then quickly wipe away any excess with a soft cloth to blend it in.

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For the final details, the drawer had been ‘quick-fixed’ so I removed the felt and reversed the drawer guide to give it the little lift it needed.

WOOD REFRESH (OPTIONAL)

To refresh the wood on the inside of the drawers, I took a large brush and brushed on some Big Mama’s Butta to revive all this beautiful wood grain. It’s cures hard so there’s no issue with applying it in the drawers – no tacky or sticky worries for your delicates or sweaters. It eliminates odors and is also water-resistant if something was to spill on it. I applied it on the inside, sides, and front of the drawers.

This wood salve is also perfect for the finished wood on the outside. On this Saturday’s video, I’ll share all the scratch repairs and share how this final coat of Big Mamas Butta brought this dresser back to life!

GILDING HARDWARE

Keeping this gorgeous hardware was a must! The black and gold contrast was beautiful, yet I wanted to tone it down a bit. Using an artist’s brush and some Antique Gold Gilding Wax I lightly brushed on one coat of wax with a light touch.