How to Apply Color Powder to Repair a Wood Scratch

Repairing small scratches in finished wood furniture or other wood products is relatively easy.The process involves mixing powdered colors with a small amount of lacquer until you have matched the color of the wood that needs repair. Once a color match has been made the repair is simply a matter of carefully painting on the color with the grain of the wood using a fine-tipped artist paint brush.The most difficult part of the process is eye-balling the correct color match as you mix colors.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Variety of powdered colors
• Lacquer
• Fine-tipped artist paint brush
• Small piece of metal for a palette

How to Apply Color Powder to Repair a Wood Scratch

1. Purchase a variety of wood powder colors that closely match the finish that you plan to repair. Color powders can be purchased at most good hardware stores or online. Unless the stain you are trying to match is a very simple color you may need to purchase several different shades of powder in order to mix them into the exact shade that you are trying to match.

2. Pour a small amount of lacquer into a small container. Your color powders should be open and easily available. You will mix your colors on a small piece of hard wood or metal that will serve as your mixing palette. Mix colors using the tip of a fine-tipped artist brush.

3. Dip the tip of your brush into the lacquer and then touch the tip of the brush to your palette, leaving a drop of lacquer on your palette. Now dip the tip of the brush into the powder that most closely resembles the color of stain you are trying to match. Use the powder sparingly as a little goes a long way. Now touch the tip of your brush to the drop of lacquer on the palette, transferring the powder to the drop of lacquer. Mix the powder and lacquer using the tip of your brush and compare the color of your lacquer/color mixture to the color of the stain you are repairing.

4. Add different shades of powder to your lacquer mixture until you have a shade that appears to match the stain of the piece you are repairing exactly. You may need to dip the tip of your brush in your lacquer to add more lacquer to your color mixture in order to keep the mixture the consistency of slightly runny paint.

5. Paint the mixture into the scratch you are repairing using the tip of your artist brush. Always paint with the grain (never across the grain) and only paint the affected area. Allow to dry and inspect for a perfect color match. If a perfect color match has not been achieved, repeat the process.

Tips & Warnings

• Use colors sparingly as a little color goes a long way. If you find that your color mixture is getting further away from the correct color rather than closer, stop the process, wipe all color from your artist brush and begin the process again with a new drop of clean lacquer.
• Always paint with the grain when making repairs and only paint the affected area.