Even if you try to be as economical as possible with your furniture, an accident can happen. How can you repair minor defects in your wooden furniture, or remove moisture and stains? These are often simple interventions that can still yield surprisingly good results. What are the most common damages and what can you do about it?
Convex veneer
In this case there is moisture in the veneer. This is difficult to fix. You could try to get the moisture out of the veneer with a hair dryer or an iron. When using an iron, place a double-folded tea towel over the veneer and start on a low setting. When you think you have removed the moisture from the veneer, place something heavy on the spot so that the glue layers will stick together again.
The methods below only work with solid wood. Do not try with veneer!
White circles and spots
These are usually caused by hot cups. First try to get rid of the circles with a mixture of salad oil and salt. Rub this with a piece of kitchen roll into the wood in the direction of the wood grain until the stain is gone. If this doesn’t work, you can also try this with a metal polish.
Burn marks
You gently scrape burn marks with a knife and then sand the spot with fine sandpaper. After this you can treat the stain as the rest of the furniture has been treated. So with varnish when painting or otherwise staining or rubbing with oil.
Dents
A dent that is not too deep can make you swell. Place a damp tea towel folded in half over the dent. Iron over this with the iron. Repeat this several times. Maybe the wood fibers will erect. Wait with any further treatment of the wood until the moisture has been removed.
Clamping drawers
Wooden drawers often jam over time. Rub the top and bottom of the sides of the drawer with candle wax and if this is not enough you can sand these sides lightly and rub again with candle wax.
Damage to a corner
It often happens during a move. There is a damage on the corner of your furniture visible through a few unsightly wood splinters. Fortunately, this is quite easy to update with solid wood. You just sand the corner until the shape is the same as the other corner (s). Then you paint, stain or oil the wood and even though the corner will be a bit blunter than the other corners, the difference is barely noticeable.
Maintenance of your wooden furniture
Do not put your furniture in bright sunlight if you do not want it to discolour. Solid wood furniture often suffers a lot from dry or moist air. Most furniture can be maintained with oil or wax to prevent cracks in the wood. For lacquered wooden furniture it is best to use Elite Polish for maintenance. The product camouflages small scratches and damage and is able to remove moisture spots from the paint layer.
The advantage of solid wood furniture is that it lasts a lifetime. If you really don’t like them anymore, you can always sand them down and paint them in a color. Filling and sanding takes a lot of time, but your interior is like new again without having to buy other furniture.