Getting scratches on your wooden dining table is inevitable. No matter how careful you are, sometimes it’s just fate. Don’t dump your dining table because the scratches have taken away its beauty. There’s still hope. Or it might be the case that you have found a dining table in your garage or storage that you abandoned because of scratches. The good news is that you can bring it back to your dining room. You just need to learn how to remove scratches from a dining table.
If you protect your dining table with a tablecloth, there’s still a chance that it will get scratched. By the dust and dirt trapped under the tablecloth. So, this is a good read for you if you own a wooden dining table. Even if you are yet dealing with scratches.
How to Remove Scratches from a Wooden Dining Table
Scratches on your wooden dining table can make it look junky, no matter how expensive it is. But the good news is that you can give your wooden dining table a new life with simple and easy tricks. If you’re thinking of refinishing it or throwing your dining table away, don’t do it before you try these hacks.
Refinishing your wooden dining table is a good idea to treat scratches. But there are easier tricks you can try to remove minor scratches.
We have come up with this list of tried and tested hacks. And have gotten positive results from our customers of wooden dining table Apex. So, we’re confident that they will work out for you.
Try Using a Wax Crayon
What you want to achieve is getting the scratches away from sight. So, what you can do is cover your dining table up with a tablecloth. But if there are only a few of them, use a wax crayon. Just try to find a wax crayon that matches the color of the finish of your dining table. Remove the scratches by coloring them. Blend in the color using your finger. Dust off any residue with soft tissue.
Your other options for coloring the scratches are oil-based craft colors or artist’s paints. Use them directly from the tube. However, for both of these, you should use a darker shade than the finish of your dining table. Again, rub the color into the scratches using your finger.
If your dining table has a polyurethane finish, coloring the scratches will not work.
Use Watercolor Paint
On a similar note to using wax crayons, you can also use watercolors to remove scratches from a dining table. Perhaps, you may be thinking that watercolor isn’t a good idea for a wooden dining table. And you’re right because you should never allow water to sit on your wood furniture. It damages the finish. But the trick is to apply the watercolor paint directly onto the scratches using an artist’s brush. Plus, when you succeed in removing the scratches, fill it up with varnish.
Not sure about using watercolors? Try using a felt-tip marker (matching the color of your dining table). And blend the scratch mark. Also in this case, when the ink dries, you will need to cover it with varnish or wax.
Think Instant Coffee!
Take inspiration from a white mug of coffee placed on a dark-stained wooden table. Have you noticed that the color of the coffee almost matches the finish of the dining table? If your dining table matches the color of your cuppa, use it to remove scratches. Wait! Don’t spill the coffee.
Here’s how to use coffee to remove scratches from a dining table. Take a tablespoon of instant coffee powder in a cup. Add a little water to make a thick paste. Rub it onto the scratches on your dining table. Let the paste soak through. Finally, wipe off the excess paste and buff it with a cheesecloth.
How about Tea?
If you don’t have instant coffee in your pantry, it’s okay. Use tea instead. No! You’re not spilling tea either…
How to remove scratches from a dining table using tea. (Black, Not Herbal or Green Tea). It’s Easy peasy, Mac n cheesy. Don’t brew a whole cup of tea. Pour two to three tablespoons of hot water into a tea bag in a mug. Let the tea bag sit in the water for at least 3 minutes.
Obviously, the longer you let the tea bag steep, the stronger color you will achieve. So, you will need to control the steeping time carefully. So that it matches the shade of your dining table.
Dab the scratches with a cotton swab dipped in the tea. However, you shouldn’t let the tea sit on the dining table. This is to avoid staining the area around the scratches. Wipe away the tea with a paper towel as quickly as possible. If your dining table is medium-dark colored, you may need to repeat the application twice or more.
Get some Walnuts
Walnut oil is incredibly helpful to fix scratches on wooden surfaces. Use walnut oil to remove scratches from a dining table. Cure the affected area by rubbing it onto the scratches.
Get some walnuts from the supermarket where they don’t sell walnut oil. Crack it open and rub a piece of the walnut kernel into the scratches. Then, use a soft cloth to polish the surface. Simply done. The walnut will make the scratches vanish just like that.
Try Mineral oils and Pumice
If you’re allergic to nuts. (bless you) You don’t need to use walnuts. There is an alternative. Grab some mineral oils and pumice instead. You will find Pumice in dust or powder form in hardware or paint stores. Make a paste with the mineral oil and pumice. Then, use soft steel wool to rub the scratches on your dining table with this paste. Wipe the treated surface with cheesecloth and buff.
Aye, aye, Iodine.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. If none of the above has worked. If your dining table is dark-colored, bring out your first aid kit. Just like you would treat a scratch on yourself using Iodine, treat the scratch on your dining table. Use a cotton swab to apply iodine to the scratches. Just like you would do with instant coffee, wipe away any excess to avoid staining the area around the scratches.
Of course, Polish
We can’t and will not forget to mention that you can use polish. Using polish is probably the first option that you thought of when looking for ways how to remove scratches from a dining table.
First, use extra-fine grit sandpaper to sand the scratched areas lightly. Use an oil-based polish to coat the area. Let the polish sit for some time so the oil from the polish soaks into the scratches. When the surface dries up completely, you will know it has been soaked. Where did the scratches go?
If the results after polishing are darker than what you needed, sand again lightly.
Last but not least: Vinegar and Olive oil
Vinegar has so many benefits. You probably use it often to make cleaning solutions. But, FYI, it is incredibly useful for removing minor scratches from a dining table.
Here’s how to use it. Make a solution by mixing one part of white vinegar with two parts of olive oil. Dip a rag into the solution and apply it to the scratches. Let it sit on the scratches for at least 2 minutes. Use a dry rag to wipe off the residue. Gone are the scratches.
Hopefully, these tricks will help you remove scratches from your dining table. Keep us updated. We proudly serve the Apex, Cary, and Raleigh locations and surrounding areas with Amish and Custom Furniture.