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10 DIY Ways to Repair Nicks & Scratches on Wooden Furniture

Illustration of household items including a chair, a bowl, a mug, a bottle of mustard oil, and a cleaning cloth.

If you've had wooden furniture in your living space for a while, chances are that you've accumulated at least a couple of nicks and scratches on the surface. Before you spend money on a professional wood refinisher to restore the surface, try out some of the DIY techniques below using common household items to minimize the visibility of the scratch.

If you have a minor scratch on the finish but not the wood, you can try rubbing a solution of lemon juice and cooking oil over the scratch with a clean lint cloth. Rub firmly in the direction of the scratch until it disappears.

For deeper scratches that expose the wood, you can fill in the scratch using the meat of an almond or walnut, or color in the scratch using tea bags, coffee grounds, iodine, wax crayons, an eyebrow pencil, and more.

Worst comes to worst, you can always leave the scratch as is or cover with a nice DIY coaster or tablecloth.

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10 DIY Ways to Repair Nicks & Scratches on Wooden Furniture

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