DIY: How to Remove Scratches from Wood Varnish Finish

Unfortunately, scratches on wood furniture are facts of life. No matter how much care you may exercise, the occasional scratch will appear. Most such scratches, however, can be easily removed or repaired without having to take the piece of furniture to a professional or, worse yet, getting rid of it.

Minor scratches. Most minor scratches can be removed by just using a good spray furniture polish and dusting well with a soft cloth. This works well for scratches that are just in the varnished finish. However, if just a good polishing does not work as well as you would like, there are oil products on the market that are specifically designed to remove scratches in finishes. You need to make sure that you get the correct color for your particular piece of furniture. I have found these products to work well on finishes and even keep a bottle handy at all times -- just in case. Paste waxes also work well.

Once again, make sure that you purchase a color to match your wood varnish finish. If you have trouble finding a paste wax to match your furniture, you can use shoe polish. For very minor scratches, you can simply use an eyebrow pencil if you have the correct color. Be sure to fill-in by following the direction of the scratch. Some companies also make markers specifically designed to fill-in scratches. These can usually be found at your local home improvement store. If you cannot find these markers, believe it or not, permanent markers can also work well. Once again, however, they work only if you have the right color. Another home remedy that can be effective on minor scratches is to mix lemon juice and olive oil in equal amounts. Use a lint-free cloth to apply the mixture to the scratch, rubbing in the direction of the scratch.

Larger, deeper scratches. For larger scratches or for scratches are a little deeper into the wood varnish finish, you can actually use a wax crayon to fill in the scratch. (The large boxes of crayons have numerous shades of brown; therefore, you should be able to find a matching color.) Simply heat the crayon using a lighter or even a candle and drip the wax into the scratch. Smooth it out using a dull table knife. The advantage to this method is that if you do not like how it looks, you can easily remove the wax and try again. Many companies also make wax sticks that are designed for repairing scratches, which can be found at home improvement stores. (I just think that using crayons is cheaper. After all, crayons are nothing but colored wax.)

If the scratch is not just in the finish and has gone into the wood itself, you will have to use more labor-intensive methods. Specifically, you will need to sand the scratch using a 600-grit sandpaper and then buff with 0000 steel wool. (Remember to sand and buff in the direction of the scratch.) Even more serious scratches may require a professional; however, the methods described above for removing scratches in just the wood varnish finish should work nicely and have your wood varnish furniture looking almost as good as new.

References:

Grotz, George. The Furniture Doctor. NY, NY: Doubleday, 1983.

essortment.com. Do It Yourself: Fixing scratches in wood furniture and trim.