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Furniture looking a little shabby with all those little scratches
and dings? You know, the vacuum cleaner bumps here and there, and
the Hot Wheels hit-and-runs? Not to worry. We’ll show you simple
touch-up techniques that will make these minor eyesores disappear
quickly and painlessly.
We’re not talking about refinishing or even repairing here, which
are different games altogether. This is about hiding flaws so only
you will know they’re there.
The procedures and materials shown in this article won’t damage
the original finish on your furniture if it was made in the last
50 years.
However, if the piece of furniture you’re touching up is very old,
or an antique, it may have a shellac finish. With shellac, you shouldn’t
attempt the scratch-removal process shown on p. 81. And if the piece
is an antique, think twice about doing any touch-up, which could
actually devalue it.
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You can test for a shellac finish with a few drops of alcohol in
an out-of-sight spot. Alcohol will dissolve shellac.
Think safety: Even though all the fluids and sprays we show here
are everyday hardware-store products, most are both flammable and
toxic. Read and follow the directions on the label. Don’t use them
in a room where there’s a pilot light, or near open flames or in
an unventilated space. If you’ll be doing anything more than a few
quick passes with the sprays shown here, work outdoors and wear
a respirator mask with organic cartridges. And if you’re pregnant,
stay away from these materials altogether.
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HIDE
scratches with permanent-ink felt-tip markers. You can either
use the furniture touch-up markers available at hardware stores
and home centers, or, to get an exact match, buy markers at
an art supply store that carries an array of colors (check the
Yellow Pages). For thorough coverage, you may need to dab the
ink onto the scratch, let it dry, then even out the color by
stroking lightly across it with the tip. Keep in mind that colors
tend to darken when they soak into wood fibers. |
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TOUCH
UP
thin scratches with a fine-tip permanent marker. When filling
in scratches, steady your hand against the furniture for accuracy;
as much as possible, flow the ink only onto the scratch.
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SOAK
a coarse, absorbent, clean cloth with mineral spirits
and wipe the finish. Keep applying and wiping until the cloth
no longer picks up dirt. Then do a final wipe with a fresh,
clean rag.
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CLEAN
crevices, grooves and carved areas with cotton swabs dipped
in mineral spirits.
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