No matter how much you try to keep the furniture in your dining and living room damage-free, it is almost impossible to prevent water stains, tears, and scratches. These little damages can come from several sources: your pet has an accident or chews some wood, your children are too enthusiastic with permanent markers or pens, or your favorite furniture suffers from smoke or damage. Strong upholstery such as microfiber and leather can equally get damaged in some situations.
The same applies to wood furniture damages; using coasters, furniture polish, and glass covers may not prevent stains, water rings, or scratches from severely affecting your wood furniture.
This article looks at some easy home remedies you can try to spruce up old furniture. In addition, it also lists several high-quality commercial products that will assure spectacular results. Here is a quick summary:
Furniture deterioration is inevitable, but fortunately, there are several ways to fix them. Here are some tips and tricks to help repair your damaged furniture and make them look as good as new again, depending on the different materials and type of damage.
There are many natural home remedies you can try to freshen up your furniture with a dark stain. For example, staining your furniture darker with vinegar will give it a rich, natural hue.Simply apply the vinegar and use a wire brush to scrub it into the wood.
Another natural option is to use linseed oil, a high quality furniture solution that dries quickly, leaving a tough slightly glossy finish. Suitable for all types of wood and stone, this will give you high quality results without much effort.
- EFFECTIVE ON ALL SURFACES and QUICK DRYING: Furniture Clinic Wood Stain is a fast drying and highly concentrated wood stain making it effective on all indoor and outdoor wood surfaces. Our wood stain provides excellent coverage and ensures even color penetration. It's water based, environmentally friendly, and dries to a natural matte finish in only 10 minutes.
- COMES IN 12 COLORS - VISIBLE WITH ONE COAT: Our wood stain comes in 12 colors ranging from dark to light and can be purchased in multiple sizes. It evenly covers and stains wood in one coat, restoring old and tired wood with a new finish.
- SAFE TO USE: Our Wood Stain is water based making it safe for your wood and the environment. It's low odor, non-toxic, easy to use, and easy to clean up! Ideal for use on all interior wood projects: furniture, cabinets, doors, trim, floors and more.
- USE WITH IN COMBINATION WITH: After staining wood, you should finish the job by sealing the stain in with one of our Furniture Clinic Wood Waxes, Wood Varnishes or Wood Oils. These will bring out the color of the stain further, provide additional protection and can be used to alter the finish to either satin or gloss.
- SATISFACTION GUARANTEED: We understand that protecting your surfaces can be a very precise task, and not to worry. Our experts are here if you have questions before purchasing and if after purchasing you're not satisfied with the results (we expect you will be), we offer a money back guarantee.
To repair reasonably minor damage, one option is to try restoring your furniture using a natural recipe. Mix one-quarter cup of vinegar (apple or white cedar) and three-quarter cups of oil (you can make do with canola oil) thoroughly. Follow the application instructions, and in no time, your wood will look as good as a new one.
For a more powerful solution that will yield more predictable results, the Weiman Repair Kit is our favorite product for hiding furniture scratches and smoothing out worn edges.
Before purchasing wood stain from stores, try using a natural ingredient. For example, coconut oil can be used to re-hydrate furniture and also restores the wood’s soft glow and natural color. It may make the furniture look darker, yet it actually restores the natural color and makes it look healthier.
Another natural restoration option is to use a high quality beeswax polish and conditioner. These polishes contain no artificial coloring and work amazingly on wood, metal and marble surfaces.
- We use real lemon oil and real beeswax to create this furniture polish
- No artificial coloring or silicones
- For fine wood, metal, and marble surfaces
- Protects, polishes, beautifies
- Handcrafted in Indiana since 1986. We ship Priority Mail via USPS.
If you’ve got a beautiful wood piece, but an eyesore is detracting from the overall appearance, you can use a latex-based wood filler. This is an all-purpose alternative preferred by several furniture restorers to the normal furniture fillers. Simply mix up the wood filler, apply to the damaged portion and then sand smooth.
- For interior and exterior use
- Resists shrinking and cracking
- Contains real wood fibers for superior sanding, staining, and painting
- Solvent free
- Elmer's: The Glue with the Orange Cap
If you feel capable you should try using specific tools to make your job easier. Using tools like fasteners, glue and pliers are always useful, just make sure never to underestimate a good paintbrush! After that, you can give the furniture an even look by repainting the entire piece.
It may seem simple to refinish wood; simple purchase a stain and apply it – but we can tell you confidently that there’s more to be done to enhance this staining process. First, ensure to sand the furniture piece – even if you’re not seeing any sort of top coat or finish. Do remember to sand with the grain, that’s the exact direction of the furniture grain.
To achieve the best result, begin by doing a coarse-grit, and finish with a fine-grit. Nice smooth wood surfaces will readily accept the stain and color evenly. For good control, use a rag to apply the stain, and thoroughly buff towards the end for a more attractive and durable end result.
- Including 6 sheets of each grit: 60/ 80/ 100/ 120/ 150/ 180/ 240/ 320/ 400/ 600/ 800/ 1000/ 1200/ 1500/ 2000/ 2500/ 3000, total 102 sheets
- Compact size: 3 x 5.5 inches, small size for hand using easily; do not apply to place on sanding block
- Dry or wet; Silicon carbide; Electro coated
- Come with a free tool box for easy storage and transportation
- Widely applied in automotive sanding, wood furniture finishing, wood turning finishing and more
If you have an old piece that has been painted and overused in the past, you can return its lost glory by stripping it to the beautiful, original piece. Depending on how large the damaged area is, you can use liquid paint strippers (for a large area) or sand it down (for a small area). Applying liquid strippers require an even spread around. You could use a chip brush to make a cool, thick layer. Allow the stripper to dry for about 40 minutes and scrape it away while maintaining the wood grain.
Here is one of of favorite furniture stripper that effectively removes paint, enamel, lacquer and varnish from wood:
If you love the appearance of reclaimed pallets or wood, but there are unattractive old nail holes that disfigured the furniture, do not worry. You can get over this with a simple restoration trick!
Filling the holes with pieces of wood, in place of glue is recommended. We recommend using wood stain because they look more natural and even. Just sharpen a skewer, caramel apple stick, or even a toothpick and then pop it in! After sanding it down to a moderate finish, check it out again!
If there is a pesky watermark that is refusing to align with your repainting or refinishing efforts, simply eliminate the annoying stain using spray shellac! Just like the Zinsser Bulls Eye Spray, a shellac coating will seal the watermark and prevent any bleed out to enable you to paint with ease.
Restoring and repairing your furniture is simple, only if you have the perfect materials and instructions! Now that you have them, go ahead and take delight in the natural beauty of your furniture!
If your furniture is scuffed or faded and you have the time to experiment, try out some of the home remedies listed in this article for fast and easy solutions. However, if you want the best results possible from your restoration efforts, keep these products in mind as you make your plans:
