How to Repair a Wood Dent or Scratch

Bring wood back to its natural luster by repairing dents and scratches.

Vacuum cleaner bumps, chewing pets and rambunctious children make dents and scratches in wood furniture. Dents in wood actually are different from scratches. Denting is caused when the wood is depressed into itself because of solid impact. Scratching is when the wood fibers are broken or missing from the wood. Each defect has a different repair method. Denting requires the use of steam in the repair, while scratching requires a patching method.

Things You'll Need

• Soft cloths or brown craft paper
• Iron
• Sandpaper
• Wood stain
• Cheesecloth
• Shellac sticks
• Alcohol lamp
• Metal palette knife
• Razor blade
• Paraffin rubbing oil
• 400-grit waterproof sandpaper

Instructions

Dents

1. Dampen several soft cloths or brown craft paper. Do not soak.

2. 

   Use a standard iron on the "Warm" setting to repair dents.

   Layer the damp cloths or paper over the dent. Turn the iron onto the "Warm" setting. The iron should not be very hot.

3. Touch the iron over the damp cloths or paper. This creates steam that swells the fibers into place. Check the dent often while ironing by lifting the cloths or paper. Once the dent is swelled back to the surface, remove the damp covering and let the wood dry.

4. Sand the area so that it is even with the rest of the wood. Sanding "repacks" the wood grain and evens out any lumping. Remove the sanding dust.

5. Apply wood stain to the sanded area with a cheesecloth. Leave the stain on for the recommended time indicated on the packaging. Wipe away the excess stain with a cheesecloth. The longer the stain sits, the darker the finish.

Scratches

1. Purchase shellac sticks from a hardware store in the same color as the wood. Utah State University recommends practicing working with shellac sticks on scrap wood first.

2. 

   Use an artist's palette knife to apply shellac.

   Heat the metal palette knife over the alcohol lamp, then heat the tip of a shellac stick.

3. Drip the melted shellac over the scratch and smear it into the crevice with the palette knife. Reheat the palette knife often because the shellac cools quickly. Apply shellac until the scratch is filled.

4. Let the shellac dry completely, then scrape off the excess with a razor blade.

5. Apply a small amount of paraffin rubbing oil to the 400-grit waterproof sandpaper and sand the damaged area until smooth.

Tips & Warnings

• For small scratches, break a Brazil nut or black walnut in half and rub over the scratch to make the blemish less noticeable.

• Do not use steam to repair dents on wood veneer.

References

• UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences: How to Care for Your Furnishings
• Utah State University: Cleaning, Repairing and Reconditioning Wood Furniture