How to Repair Scratches on Wood Cabinets and Furniture

To hide scratches on stained or natural wood cabinets and furniture:

• Stain: Apply a matching stain to the scratch, wipe off any excess with a soft, clean cloth. Allow the stain to dry, then apply a coat of finish (such as polyurethane) over it.
• Touch-Up Pen: Apply a matching furniture touch up stain pen or marker to the scratch, and wipe off any excess with a soft, clean cloth.
• Wax Pencil: For deep scratches, rub the indentation with a colored wax furniture pencil or crayon that matches the color of the wood. Use a clean, soft cloth to remove any excess wax. Don’t apply a coat of finish over the repair, as the finish won’t adhere well to the wax.
• Walnut: Rub the meat from a walnut on the scratch to color and fill it in. Wipe off any excess.

Watch this video to find out more.

Further Information

• How to Remove Water Stains from Furniture (article)
• Removing Water Stains from Furniture with Mayonnaise (article)
• How to Repair a Scratch or Gouge in a Hardwood Floor (article)

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Amy Hughes: Hey, what’re you doing? You’re snacking? Snacker!

Danny Lipford: Well, yeah. I like walnuts. Walnuts are pretty good. Would you like one?

Amy Hughes: Uh, no, thank you. But I want to know…

Danny Lipford: This is going to solve our problem with the scratches.

Amy Hughes: A walnut?

Danny Lipford: Yeah.

Amy Hughes: Really?

Danny Lipford: Well, first of all, ordinarily if you have a scratch like this, and you have the stain like we had that I poured a little in a cup. Take some sandpaper, like this is 320-grit, sand this down a little bit, then use a rag, dab it on there to kind of cover up the stain, and then you’re going to have to come back and put a little polyurethane over it. Or there’s all kinds of like, putty pencils.

Amy Hughes: Oh, yeah, I’ve seen the little pens.

Danny Lipford: And the little markers. These work pretty good. But watch this. Now, watch on this one right here. Simple walnut. You believe that? Look at that.

Amy Hughes: That’s impressive. Really? A walnut?

Danny Lipford: Yeah. And then, you know, because it’s oily, it’ll stay in there really well.

Amy Hughes: Huh.

Danny Lipford: You know, even on these darker edges like this. Look.

Amy Hughes: Oh, that’s incredible. I don’t understand. I mean, how does it… I mean, how does it work?

Danny Lipford: It’s a walnut.