How to Remove Dents From Wooden Table Tops

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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A solid wooden tabletop can be beautiful, but sometimes, you may accidentally drop something on the surface and cause a dent in the wood. It could be something small, such as a cup, an ashtray or child's toy that hits the tabletop in just the wrong way and makes a dent. There are simple ways to remove dents from your hardwood furniture.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Artist brush
Water
Cloth
Iron
Pin
Sandpaper

Step1

Clean the dented area of the tabletop with a soft cloth.

Step2

Apply water to the crushed wooden fibers using an artist brush or your fingertip. Be very careful not to get the surrounding area wet at all.

Step3

Place a wet cloth over the dented area after the water has been applied. Hold an iron, set on a low heat, against the area for 15 seconds.

Step4

Check the dent, and if it still remains, repeat the steaming process again.

Step5

Prick the dented area with a pin if the wood has not responded to the steaming process. Make holes to channel the steam from the iron into the wood fibers.

Step6

Raise the crushed fibers with the pin or your fingertip, to a level slightly above the surrounding area.

Step7

Allow the fibers that were raised to dry thoroughly. When they are completely dry, sand the area and refinish it as needed.

Tips & Warnings

If your table is made of a soft wood, repeat Step Three until the fibers rise on their own.
If the dent is near a glued joint, keep the steam away from that area. Cover the dent with a folded wet cloth, and place a bottlecap turned upside down on the cloth over the dent. Hold the iron to the edge of the bottlecap to focus the steam only on that area.