How to Touch Up Wood Kitchen Cabinets
Occasionally, wood kitchen cabinet surfaces require touch-up from usual wear and tear or accidental damage. Replacing or refacing your kitchen cabinets may be outside your budget. Refinishing them can take days and expensive materials. Try touching up minor flaws in your wood cabinets. You'll stay within your budget and finish within hours instead of days. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Heavy-duty abrasive cleaning pad
- Furniture stain touch-up pen
- Polyurethane spray
- Wood putty stick in matching finish color
- Soft, lint-free cloth
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Instructions
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Wipe cabinets clean with a damp cloth to reveal surface imperfections. Make sure the areas that need touch-up are clean and dry before moving on to the next step.
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Cover surface scratches using a stain marker matching the stain of your cabinets. If you know your cabinets' manufacturer, you may be able to order a matching stain marker from the company. If not, purchase more than one color and test the markers on an inconspicuous portion of the cabinet to find the best match.
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Spray polyurethane onto the stained scratch according to instructions on the spray bottle.
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Rub deeper scratches or small dents gently with the abrasive cleaning pad to buff away jagged edges.
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Apply wood putty stick in matching finish color to fill the scratch or dent. Wipe away excess. Wood putty will never harden completely, so use stained or stainable wood filler instead if the area will ever need sanding, drilling or nailing.
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Spray the touched-up spot with polyurethane according to manufacturer's instructions.
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Tips & Warnings
Avoid damaging your kitchen cabinets by using mild cleaning products and preventing accidental damage. Use trivets, wipe up spills promptly, do not use abrasive sponges or cleaners and do not use bleach. Use only soft cloths to dust your cabinets, and do not use dish cloths or sponges that can scratch the wood.
Stain markers, polyurethane spray and wood putty contain ingredients not safe for children. Work in the area of the flaw quickly and put the materials out of the reach of children and pets when you are finished.
References
Resources
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