How do I fix the finish on my coffee table?

June 29, 2010 6:36 AM

How do I fix the chipped finish on my coffee table?

Not sure exactly what happened, but something scratched the top of my coffee table and caught on some of the varnished finish near the edge, which subsequently flaked off. The unfinished wood is a completely different color so it looks terrible once you notice it. Photo 1, Photo 2. Added difficulty is that those photos are very zoomed in; the dark stripe is only about 1/2" wide and the big chip is about the size of a pinkie nail.

What's the easiest way I can fix this? What's the proper way?

posted by smackfu to home & garden (3 answers total)

Easiest would be to use the matching color touch-up wax crayon. Several brands make these to match their stain colors. First relevant google hit was here. A higher end hardware store or finishing supply should carry them.

To use, just color in the chipped area, then wipe off the excess.
posted by stachemaster at 7:00 AM on June 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

I've used a kid's brown crayon, too. A mid-sized pack of Crayola will have a couple of shades of brown to choose from, for that perfect match.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 8:11 AM on June 29, 2010

Thanks! I got an official crayon at Home Depot, Minwax brand. Matching the color is really hard, what I ended up with is a bit too red but it was nearly impossible to tell that in the store under the fluorescent lights. It looks decent enough though, especially now that it's getting darker.

One piece of advice is that applying it then rubbing it off with a rag didn't work at all. It just took it all off again Wax sticks to the rag better than it sticks to the wood. Applying it then using a putty knife to scrape off the raised excess worked great though.
posted by smackfu at 4:33 PM on June 29, 2010