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Techniques for fixing common damage No doubt you have a favorite piece of furniture that bears a conspicuous scar from a careless smoker, a guest who didn't use a coaster for his drink, or a pet that doesn't share your appreciation of fine furniture. Every time you see the blemish, it probably rekindles ill will toward the perpetrator and makes you wish you could undo the damage. In fact, by using the right materials and techniques, you can fix many types of damage without spending a lot of time or money. You should realize, however, that repairing surface damage on furniture is a balancing act between technology and artistry. Although there are established techniques and materials used to repair finishes, an elevated sense of craft is an important part of achieving a successful result. Without it, a repair may be as noticeable as the damage it was intended to fix. While a restored area may never disappear, it should fall below the average person's threshold of perception. Typically, most repairs you'll make will be to manufactured household furniture. Nearly all household furniture manufactured since about 1920 was finished with lacquer. Although matching the color and sheen of a lacquer finish can be challenging, it is within reach. On the other hand, handmade furniture (contemporary or antique) may require repair methods not covered here. And the materials and finishes used for modern office furniture can make repairs impractical. Star Finishing Products and other manufacturers (see SOURCES) make repair and retouching products that can help you achieve professional results. Keep in mind that this article can only point you to the right supplies and techniques - you'll need to furnish the talent. Easy Fixes Repairing minor damage, such as small scratches and water marks, requires only modest skill using familiar products. Small scratches, such as those produced by a cat's sharp claws, can be easily hidden using paste wax or an oil/varnish blend such as Watco Danish Oil. Always use tinted oil to match the wood color, and be sure to wipe off the excess. A finish that's dull from surface wear can be restored to its original sheen by polishing it with a rubbing lubricant and 0000 steel wool. You can usually remove cloudy water marks in the finish by rubbing the area with a rag dampened (not wet) with alcohol. Another method is to apply a thick coat of an oily substance such as petroleum jelly or mayonnaise on the mark and let it sit overnight. Generally, the oil will displace the moisture. Most water damage that has darkened the wood or caused the finish to separate from the wood will require stripping and refinishing. Touch - up markers made by Star, Behlen and Minwax work well for blending larger scratches. Putty sticks, such as Star Easy - Fil, are good for filling scratches, cracks and small dents and gouges. They can also be coated with almost any finish. More serious surface damage, including missing color (from being rubbed off) and problems caused by heat may require more drastic measures. Heat damage has a cloudy appearance similar to water marks. You can try to redissolve the finish with alcohol, but you'll probably wind up stripping and refinishing the piece. As for missing color, you can use padding lacquer and powdered stains, but more on that later. Using Burn-In Sticks Burn - in sticks (also called lacquer sticks), such as Star Nu - Glo, are used to fill larger damaged areas. To use them, the surface around the depression, dent or scratch should be relatively level, smooth and free of dirt. Remove any loose flakes of lacquer or wood fibers with sandpaper or a penknife. Note that it's more difficult to conceal a repair on a tabletop than on vertical surfaces such as legs. That's because color and sheen differences are much more noticeable on horizontal surfaces. Novices may therefore want to tackle something other than a tabletop on their first attempt. You'll need a burn - in knife (electric, gas or oven - heated) to melt the sticks. The knife's blade should be hot, but not so hot that it discolors the burn - in stick. The stick material should flow like cream without smoking or bubbling. The depth of the damaged area is a big factor when determining the color of the burn - in stick. Use an opaque color on shallow scratches that just penetrate the bare wood. On more deeply damaged areas where no color is missing, such as dents, use a clear transparent stick. Repairs made with transparent burn - in sticks tend to look good from all angles. To apply melted burn - in stick, pick up a small amount on the knife. Place the material ahead of the damaged area and pull it into the hole, overfilling slightly. With a little practice you'll develop the technique of dropping the material on the back stroke and pulling it into the hole on the forward stroke. Never stop the knife on the surface while applying or removing and leveling the burn - in area. Spread a lubricant, such as Nu - Glo Patch Lube, over the damaged area to pick up the excess patch material. Continue the stroke until you've picked up all of the excess or spread it into a very thin film. Replacing missing color You can repair areas of finish and stain that are worn through with padding lacquer (a type of shellac) and powdered stains. As always, be sure there's good cross ventilation when using finishing materials. First you'll need to apply the padding lacquer. Use a 4 - in. x 4 - in. piece of cheesecloth or lint - free cotton cloth to apply the padding lacquer. Fold the cloth in half, then into quarters. Gather the cloth corners at the rear to form a wrinkle - free pad surface. Moisten the cloth with padding lacquer and apply over the area using a swiping motion - much like a pendulum - making contact only at the bottom of the stroke (see photos, opposite). Don't stop the pad or you'll get a print mark. Confine the material to the smallest possible area around the defect. Continue until the surface is slightly tacky. On areas where bare wood is exposed, you should build up clear finish before adding color. You can blend powdered stains to obtain a matching color. To apply color, rub the stain powder onto the tacky finished surface with your fingertip. (Note that the padding lacquer will be tacky only for a few seconds after it's applied.) Then pass the tacky pad back and forth quickly to dissolve the powder into the finish. Don't use a pad that's too wet or it will lift the color rather than transfer it to the finish. Alternate between coloring and padding until you obtain the desired effect. Matching sheen is very difficult. You can attempt to match sheen with a can of aerosol lacquer. Spray the entire surface where you've made the repair. Then rub the surface with steel wool. To match grain, you can mix stain powders with graining liquid and then apply with a sable graining brush to match the appearance of the wood. Various types of wood will require different stain mixtures - more or less opaque - and brush sizes to match the wood's grain. An alternative method is to use a graining pen to draw grain lines. Mitchell Kohanek teaches Wood and Finishing Technology at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, Minnesota. Handy also thanks Bob Flexner, author of Understanding Wood Finishing, for contributing to this article, as well as Star Finishing Products for its technical assistance. |
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