Cover Scratches

 

 

There are many different methods to cover surface scratches. Not all of them require a solution from a hardware shop. There are some cheap and effective ways to cover some scratches:

 

Using a Walnut.

 
Begin by rubbing the scratched wooden item with the walnut. Do this in a circular motion across the length of the scratch, from one end to the other.
 Leave the scratch for several minutes. The natural oils in the nuts will start to seep into the wood, helping to disguise and aid the scratched wood. Then take a soft cloth and polish over the whole area and see the scratch disappear.
Although this method works in most cases, please do not try this on a valuable antique, let a professional have a look at it.
 

Colouring the scratch:

 
Some effective ways to colour the scratch to match the rest of the wood are, using tea bags, coffee grounds, iodine, wax crayons, an eyebrow pencil, and more.
These will not remove the scratch, but will make them far less noticeable.
 
Although these methods are good, we much prefer to use a solution from a hardware shop called "Liberon Scratch Cover". This is basically a blend of Beeswax, carnauba and paraffin wax with colouring agents dispersed in solvents.
Firstly, choose the colour that matches your wood then apply the scratch cover to the scratches with a soft cloth and leave for several minutes before rubbing with a clean soft cloth. When the scratch has been masked apply the scratch cover over all the surface and polish off with a soft cloth or duster.
 
All of these methods are really just for surface scratches. If you are looking to cover a gouge or a deep scratch, we would recommend using Liberon Wax Filler Sticks. These wax sticks are used to fill small to medium sized holes in a finished project. You don’t have to sand or strip the work surface. After filling, you can French polish, varnish, or just rewax the finished surface. Match the surface colour as closely as possible - go a little darker if you don’t have a stick that matches exactly. The wax is hard at room temperature, so shave of a bit and then soften the scraping between your fingers of under warm water. Then press the wax into the hole and allow it to harden. Finish off by buffing the surface with a soft cotton cloth to remove the excess. The wax in these sticks are harder than the wax in the retouch crayons so it can fill larger defects.