How to Repair and Conceal Furniture Scratches

Do you have furniture with scratches, dings and gouges?  Are these scratches, dings and gouges ruining its appearance? 

Scratches are a natural part of owning wood furniture.  You could have a professional furniture restorer fix it.  But that would cost big bucks. 

As a frugal homemaker, I am always after a convenient alternative that doesn't cost much.  So, this way to repair furniture nicks and scratches will cost you absolutely nothing if you drink coffee because you will be using coffee grounds.

Americans drink a lot of coffee daily, which means a lot of coffee grounds are getting thrown out in the trash.   Don't throw them out.  Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle!  Besides this coffee ground use, there are many clever way to recycle used coffee grounds.  Healthline has 16 Creative Ways to Use Old Coffee Grounds.  Or check out these 20 Useful Things You Can Do With Old Coffee Grounds by One Good Thing.

There are many different tricks you can use to help to camouflage furniture scratches and make them less conspicuous. But this one which works mainly on medium-dark and darker wood furniture is really easy. 

Learn how to hide furniture scratches by watching our video or keep reading this post for a photo tutorial with step-by-step instructions.

My scratched, embarrassing coffee table before fixing the scratches.

How to repair nicks and scratches on wooden furniture:

STEP 1:

To begin the process of concealing scratches on wood furniture, brew your morning cup of coffee and allow the wet used coffee grounds to cool.  

Of course, you could always allow the coffee grounds to dry and store for later use.  

STEP 2: 

Next, apply the wet coffee grounds to the scratches in the wood and hold them there or allow them to stand on the wood a few minutes.  For my first attempt, I did leave them on only a few minutes and I had to repeat the process a few times to camouflage the scratches.

I now believe that applying the coffee grounds and waiting for about 15 - 20 minutes would be a better option.

I used my hand to apply the wet coffee grounds to my coffee table.  However, you could use a cotton ball or cotton swab.

IMPORTANT:  The coffee grounds must be wet when you apply them to the furniture.  

After the coffee grounds have been on the table for a while, gently wipe them away with a soft cloth, rag or paper towel. 

If the scratch is still visible, repeat the process.

The above photo shows my coffee table before and after applying the coffee grounds.  As you can see the scratches are less visible. 

After I was finished repairing the scratches with the coffee grounds, I was not finished with them.  They went directly into my compost bin and they will make wonderful compost for my garden. Up Gardener has an ultimate guide to composting with coffee grounds.

If you are hesitant about using coffee ground, there are numerous furniture repairs kits and products that can be purchased at Amazon.

If worst comes to worst and the scratches can't be repaired, you can always make and cover it with a table runner, coaster or tablecloth.

Looking for more furniture repair ideas.  Don't miss our article on how to fix and reattach a table leg.

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