Touch Up Kits and Polishes for Wood Furniture
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Get the Best Wood Furniture Polish for Quality Results
To keep your furniture, cabinets, and vanities looking good through the years, you need to polish them, and when necessary touch up some surfaces. One application of a high-quality polish can last many months. Remember to use a product that matches the color of your wood for touch-ups.
When using filler crayons or stains, you may need to mix colors to get the right match. Always try out the products first in an inconspicuous spot such as the back to see how it’s going to look because a botched up fix can look worse than a scratch.
Why You Need to Touch Up Furniture and Cabinets
Furniture and other wood surfaces get scratched, scuffed up, dented, and stained over the years. You don’t need to put up with these mars and damage by applying the right products and a little elbow grease. Consider touching them up now so they look better, don’t become worse, and you will feel better about them.
Superficial damage can be repaired by using the products and techniques in this blog. TIP: Think twice about repairing antique furniture because you many reduce its value. Instead, consult with a professional restoration specialist.
In general, touching up furniture works on varnish, lacquer, shellac, and polyurethane finishes. You can find what you need in the paint and cleaning supplies sections of DIY and specialty wood stores. It’s imperative to clean the surfaces before attempting any touch-ups or repairs to remove polish, oil, grease, wax, or other buildup. Use a solution of Murphy Oil Soap or dishwashing liquid and warm water. With skill and practice you can work wonders on your furniture and cabinets. Use this advice from This Old House for touchup work.
How Polishing Wood Helps
Using the Right Wood Finish Repair Kit Gives Your Furniture a Brilliant Shine
Polishing your furniture, cabinets, and vanities has more than one purpose. This quote from MaidPro lets us in on polishing’s secrets.
“The act of polishing will give the surface that sheen slipperiness every wood furniture owner wants. Polishing would also reduces scratches on the surface and repels the dust off it. Trusted sources also mention that polishing keeps small forms of liquids from seeping into the pores of the wood. The last thing you want is for your wood to rot because of the moisture it has from water spills.”
“Practice before you begin touch-ups, and always first try out on an inconspicuous spot, such as the underside of a table.”
We have selected the following products for successful touchups and polishing.
- Reckitt Benckiser Old English Scratch Cover Polish – Dark Wood
Since it is important to match the color of your wood, use this polish to fix scratches on your dark furniture. This liquid polish works on scratches in dark wood furniture such as mahogany and cherry. Depending on how deep the scratch is, the polish works to make it close to invisible or at least less noticeable. Apply sparingly with a soft lint-free cloth, and follow by buffing with another soft lint-free cloth.
- Reckitt Benckiser Old English Scratch Cover – Light Wood
Reckitt Benckiser Old English Scratch Cover for light wood should be used on lighter wood such as maple or pine. Again use in an inconspicuous corner before you apply it to the scratches. Use a lint-free cloth to apply and another soft, clean lint-free cloth to buff. If possible find an area of exposed wood to test first, so that you are assured of the correct color match.
- Old English Lemon Oil Furniture Polish
Old English Lemon Oil Polish should be used when you need to polish your furniture. Use only on varnished wood to condition, clean and shine it. Remember to use sparingly, applying with a soft, lint-free cloth. Buff with another piece of cloth after applying. Do not polish your furniture more than once every six months or so, or you could end up with a sticky build up.
This polish can also be used to remove scratch cover that is the wrong color for your wood. When removing scratch cover, apply liberally and buff with a soft cloth.
- Minwax Regular Paste Wax
Use a Leading Wax for Furniture and Wood Door Touch Up
Use Minwax on a clean, dust-free surface when you need to apply wax to your wood surfaces. Apply a thin, even coat with a clean cloth. Allow Minwax Paste Finishing Wax to dry thoroughly (10-15 minutes) and polish with a clean cloth, weighted buffer or electric polisher. This finishing wax produces a hard, dry, oil-less polish and is recommended for lighter wood.
- Beeman Tibet Almond Stick
The Beeman Tibet Almond Stick is not a hard crayon-like stick as the name might lead you to believe, but a soft, fibrous, cloth-like material that is saturated in an oily substance. One stick lasts for years, and a lot of users swear by it to fix any wood surface. However, you have to remember there are no magic products to actually disappear scratches. At best, they can be disguised by using any of these products. That said, this is a quick fix and does make scratches less noticeable.
Apply the “stick” to any color or type of wood, and buff with an absorbent tissue or cloth to wipe away any extra oil.
- Guardsman Furniture Touch Up Kit
The Guardsman Furniture Touch Up Kit consists of four markers that can be used to touch up any finish that is light, medium, or dark. It can hide nicks, scratches and scuffed edges and dries quickly. Start with the lightest marker, and it is always a good idea to try out the different shades in an inconspicuous area to see which color will go with your finish. You might need to combine two or more colors to match the exact finish. Immediately wipe off any marker that gets on a non-scratched surface as it can leave permanent darker marks on it.
- ReStor It Furniture Touch Up Kit
The ReStor It Furniture Touch Up Kit repairs and restores color to virtually any wood surface. It comes with three (light, medium, dark) filler sticks and five markers. Use it to conceal scratches and scuffed corners and edges.
As with other touch-up kits, you might have to mix colors and proceed with a light touch. Practice before you begin touch-ups, and always first try out on an inconspicuous spot, such as the underside of a table. No single product is right for everyone or every piece, so experiment with a few before you decide to use one.
Our team of specialists at Sunshine Alliance Cabinets & Millwork is happy to answer any of your questions about touchups, polishing wood, or custom woodworking. Call 954-968-6858 for a prompt answer to your needs. See all our services for Florida homes and businesses.
Bruno Romano Is a Custom Cabinet and Millwork Specialist who takes pride in every job done, small to large. He is determined in providing the best customer service and quality woodworking to South Florida residents.
