Repairing Your Solid Wood Furniture

Solid wood furniture is an excellent investment. It will last a lifetime if well cared for. Unfortunately, life can happen and cause damage to your lovely solid-wood pieces. Thankfully, some minor repairs are easy to handle yourself. Read on to learn more about repairing your solid wood furniture.

How to Repair Solid Wood Furniture Guide

Different kinds of damage can happen to solid wood furniture. Some of these you can repair yourself. The following section covers some of these kinds of damage and how to handle them.

Assess any Damage

Before trying to repair your solid wood furniture, you must assess the damage. Different supplies and techniques will be needed depending on the type of damage. Water damage, dents, cracks, scratches, and burns will all require different tools and methods for repair. More severe damage may require a professional. Once you have assessed the damage, it is time to gather supplies.

Supplies you may Need

There are several supplies you will need to do a furniture repair job. Some of these are household items that you probably already have on hand. Others you may need to go out and purchase. What supplies you need depends on the type of damage you are repairing. The following is a list of common items you might need to repair solid wood furniture:

• Soft cloth
• Mineral oil
• Pumice paste
• Steel wool
• putty/filler
• Toothpaste
• Wood filler sticks
• Wood putty
• Hot iron

Water Rings

Water rings are a very common type of damage on solid wood furniture. If you leave a drink on your wooden coffee table without a coaster, you may cause water rings. Thankfully, water rings on solid wood are easy to fix. If you have toothpaste and a soft cloth you already have everything you need. Rub the toothpaste onto the water rings until you no longer see the rings. Add baking soda to the toothpaste if the stains persist.

Dings and Dents

Dings and dents are common on wood furniture, especially if you have had the piece for a long time. There is an easy solution, heat! Use a hot iron to steam the wood. The steam causes the wood to swell, closing the dent or ding.

Scratches

All solid wood pieces eventually get scratches, particularly the legs on tables or chairs. You can make a simple paste of pumice powder and mineral oil to repair scratches on solid wood furniture. Use extra-fine steel wool to rub the paste into the surface. Finish by buffing the wood with a dry cloth.

Cracks

Older wood furniture often gets cracks. Thankfully cracks are possible to repair. For this repair, you’ll need either wood putty or wood filler sticks. Make sure you get a putty or filler that matches your piece as closely as possible.

Push the putty into the crack. If using a filler stick, rub it over the crack. Use your fingers to move the putty or filler as needed to fill the crack. Continue filling until the crack is overflowing. Allow it to dry for at least 8 hours. Then, sand the piece until the excess putty or filler is blended well with the wood. Paint or stain as desired.

Burn Marks

Burn marks are a common type of damage on solid wood furniture. With some common household supplies, shallow burn marks are easy to repair. For this job, you’ll need mineral oil, steel wool, and a cloth.

Use a piece of fine steel wool to scrub the burned parts with the mineral oil. This should remove the burn marks. Then buff the wood with the cloth. Finish by waxing and polishing the wood.

For more information about solid wood furniture contact Metropolitan Furniture today. Shop our extensive collection of solid wood Amish furniture to find the perfect pieces for your home.