How to Repair Furniture Damage

Damaged furniture can diminish the look of a room, but furniture can be expensive to replace. Depending on the nature of the damage, you can salvage your damaged furniture by following a few simple steps. You can easily repair scratches, chips, cracks, or broken or loose arms or legs on your wood, laminate and pressboard furniture.

Wood filler
Plastic knife
Wood glue (quick-drying)
Stain or paint (to match existing piece)
Screws and screwdriver (if needed)
Fine-grain sandpaper
Varnish or polyurethane
Good quality paintbrush or sponge roller
Damp rag

Instructions

- 1
  
  Furniture sets the tone for a room.
  
  Assess your damaged piece. Check for exposed splinters or staples, jagged edges or other safety hazards. Determine the extent of the damage. The required repairs may be fairly simple, such as filling a chip, gouge or crack, or slightly more involved, such as fixing or replacing a door, drawer or leg.
- 2
  
  Arrange pieces for repair on a stable surface. For example, if you're replacing a table leg, you should lay the table on its top on the floor. If you're repairing a chipped cabinet, place it on a level surface before starting.
- 3
  
  Quick-dry wood glue comes in a variety of drying speeds.
  
  Reattach separated pieces (e.g., table legs, chair arms or broken molding) using quick-dry wood glue. Apply wood glue liberally, but do not saturate. Wipe away excess quickly with a damp rag. If you're replacing a table or chair leg, use the weight of the piece to apply pressure to the glued area. For example, after gluing the leg in place, turn the piece back on all fours and stabilize it. For other pieces, apply light pressure until the glue has set to a point of stable consistency (the piece should hold together). Most quick-drying wood glue takes 24 hours to fully cure.
- 4
  
  Use fine-grain sandpaper.
  
  Sand rough edges after glue has dried. If you're repairing a chipped piece, sand the surface of the damaged area lightly. Do not oversand; just remove the shine about 1/4 inch outside the chipped area.
- 5
  Use a plastic knife to fill chips or cracks with wood filler, and then smooth the putty to the level of the surrounding surface. Use the top edge of the plastic knife as a putty knife to ensure a smooth surface. Sand lightly when dry, if necessary.
- 6
  
  Polyurethane adds shine and durability to furniture.
  
  Stain or paint the wood filler, once dry, to match the surrounding piece. After the stain has dried, coat your entire piece with varnish or polyurethane. This will ensure durability and help to hide the repair.

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