There are a number of ways to remove scratches from wood furniture and restore it to its original condition.
With these tips and tricks, your wood furniture will be looking new again in no time flat.
Some of these impromptu solutions may require you to open up your pantry and others are as simple as opening up the fridge — condiments like mayonnaise work great for polishing away scratches. That’s just one of the many things you’ll learn by browsing through this list.
Help restore your tired furniture today and give the wood finish some additional years of life with one or more of these incredible ideas.
1. Vinegar & Olive Oil
Fixing scratched wood is easy if you can get your hands on these two ingredients. Most people have them sitting in their kitchen cabinet. Mix 1/2 cup of vinegar with 1/2 cup of olive oil and then rub the solution on the damaged surface.
2. Furniture Markers
They make markers in all different shades and colors so you should be able to easily find one that matches your furniture. The best part is how easy it is. It only takes a second to cover up and hide unsightly scratches when coloring over them with a marker.
3. Crayons
Brown crayons also work great for covering up scratches on wood surfaces. If the scratch is deep, the wax will help to fill it in better than using markers would.
In order to get the color perfect, you can mix multiple crayon shades together by placing them in a small bowl, then setting that bowl in boiling water. Drip the hot wax over the scratch and then spread it smooth with a butter knife.
4. Lemon Juice
Mix lemon juice with any vegetable oil in equal amounts, then apply it to the scratch. Rub along the scratch with a soft lint cloth, polishing it in the direction of the scratch. It’s a great way to buff away small marks and make them barely noticeable.
5. Iodine
The orange-brown color of iodine will match many darker shades of furniture. You are essentially dying the exposed wood, so even if the color isn’t a perfect match, it will help make it look more finished again. Apply the iodine onto the area using a cotton ball and clean up any excess with a paper towel.
6. Mineral Oil & Pumice
Combine mineral oil with pumice powder to form a paste. Then rub it into the scratched area using ultra-fine steel wool. Afterward, you can rub away the excess paste and buff it up with a dry cloth. It’s a natural, homemade polish.
7. Coffee
Coffee grounds are useful for more than just making coffee. Either rub the grounds into the scratch directly, or you can brew a strong batch of coffee, then dab it onto the area with a cotton ball. Both techniques will get the job done.
8. Tea
Steep your tea bag in a mug for two or three minutes to get it to the desired color. For darker furniture, you will need to steep it longer. Take a cotton swab and dip it into the tea. Then apply it to the scratch as necessary until it begins to blend back in with the original finish.
9. Walnuts
A walnut might not be the first thing that springs to mind when it comes to removing wooden furniture scratches, however, maybe it should be. The waxy exterior of the walnut will rub off and fill in the scratch. The walnut oil serves as a natural polish.
10. Mayonnaise
It’s not as weird as it sounds. Although, you will have to leave the mayonnaise on the scratch for quite some time to allow all of the oils to settle in. Apply the mayonnaise over the wood and let it sit for two or three days to achieve the best results.
11. Paint
Any oil-based paint or watercolor should do the trick. You’ll want to use a color that is slightly darker than the furniture’s finish as it should lighten up a little as it dries. It should be noted that this method will not work with polyurethane finishes though.
12. Car Polish
Car wax is designed for metal, but it also works great on French-polished tabletops and other wooden surfaces. It will last longer than regular furnish polish, and thanks to its consistency, it’s great for deeper scratches and dents. Rub the wax in gently so as not to damage the furniture’s finish.
13. Eyebrow Pencils
You probably have a few of these already on hand in your home as part of your makeup kit. Most people have no idea that eyebrow or eyeliner pencils work so effectively for removing wood scratches from furniture. Yet, any oil-based pencils will work great for this purpose. Eyebrow pencils are most effective with small scratches.
14. Petroleum Jelly
Smooth a small amount of petroleum jelly over the scratch and let it soak in overnight. The wood will swell up somewhat and fill in the scratch. Afterward, you can clean off the excess petroleum jelly and polish the surface. It will be like the scratch never existed.
15. Peanut Butter
Cover larger scratches and marks on wood furniture with a healthy scoop of peanut butter. Make sure to let it cover up the spot for an hour at a minimum. Clean off the extra peanut butter and buff what’s left of the scratch with a cloth until it fades away.
Try out one or more of the strategies on this list and see which one works best for you. Depending on what shade of furniture you have and how deep the scratch is, some of them may work more effectively than others.
It’s likely that at least one of them will work for your purpose! However, if you are looking are more additional DIY furniture scratch removal techniques to try, you can check out the step-by-step video below.
View the video below to see five easy ways to fix wood scratches in action.
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