Repairing Scratches on Painted Furniture

6 Materials
$10
1 Hour
Easy

If you’ve ever thought about flipping a piece of furniture you thrifted or found online, you will definitely want to hear this story. Not every project is always what it seems, but with a little effort, you can turn a headache into a nice profit!


A while back, I saw an ad for a vintage dresser online, and it was a bargain! The seller noted that there were some minor scratches in the paint, but that everything was solid and well-built.

 

The ad only included two photos, and it was clear from these pictures that there were some scratches, just like they had said.

 

What probably should have concerned me was the fact that there were no photos of the left side of the dresser…and from the photos that were included, you can see that there is a dog kennel pressed up against that side:


What was visible in the original ad online

But being a shop owner, these are exactly the kinds of projects I've always enjoyed because they take very little time, and you can turn a profit with just a couple hours of time on the weekend.


If you’re thinking about earning some side income re-selling vintage goods, be sure to check out my guide for the absolute best places to find vintage farmhouse items!


Fixing a few scratches or repainting a piece that’s seen better days are simple ways to flip a piece of older furniture and give it new life.


But, when I arrived to purchase the dresser, I discovered that the seller had been less than honest about the extent of the damage.


The left side of the dresser had much more than scratches in the paint—these were deep gouges in the wood, where the wood was actually missing! It seemed pretty clear that a dog had scratched or chewed this edge, probably while in that suspicious kennel in the ad’s photo!


The real damage!

Further, someone had (poorly) attempted to disguise the damage by slapping on some mismatched black paint.

 

The comical part is that I had specifically asked if there was any damage prior to agreeing to purchase, and the seller had assured me there was none—only the small scratches shown in the photos.

 

So, when standing in front of his house and I asked about it, the seller squinted his eyes while looking at the dresser, as though he couldn’t see what I was talking about. He said he’d never noticed it before, and that it must have been that way when he bought it.

 

If there were acting awards for unscrupulous online sellers, this guy would certainly have won it that day! icon

 

Fortunately, this was damage I knew I could fix, and here’s how I did it.


To repair damage like this, you’ll need the following:

  • Wood Filler
  • Scraper
  • Sanding Block
  • Paint
  • Dust Mask
  • Eye Protection


STEP ONE:

Gather your supplies, and move your project piece to an area with good ventilation. Make sure to lay down a drop cloth to protect surrounding surfaces from debris.


You should plan on having your project piece in this area for at least 48 hours (to allow products time to dry), so choose a spot that it won’t be in your way.


STEP TWO:

Smooth wood filler into the damaged areas using the scraper. This can be a little tricky if it’s your first time using this product, but it doesn’t dry too quickly so you have time to get it right!

 

Get a glob of wood filler onto your scraper, then forcefully press it into the wood while sharply pulling downward. If you go too slowly, or don't press hard enough, the wood filler will just pull back out of the scratched areas, so you do need to move with intention to get it to stay where you want it.

 

Allow the wood filler to cure as stated in the manufacturer’s directions.


STEP THREE:

Once the wood filler has fully dried, use your sanding block to sand it smooth. You’ll notice that the filler stays in the deeply gouged areas leveling out the surface.

 

If the scratches are very deep (like they were on my piece), it may take more than one round of filling/sanding to get a really smooth finish. For my project, it took three rounds.


STEP FOUR:

After all your sanding is complete, wipe down the piece with a tack cloth to remove any dust. Remember—dust is your enemy when it comes to getting a smooth paint finish.

 

Once the piece is clean, paint as normal. Because most of this dresser was in good shape, I only needed to paint the areas with the scratches and repairs.

 

To make that process faster and easier, I took one of the drawers into the paint store and had the paint professionally matched. That way, my paint was an exact match, and I only painted the areas where I made repairs or where minor touch-ups were needed—which saved a lot of time!


Good thing I snapped a pic before it sold!

The proof is in the completed project—isn’t it beautiful? This dresser sold out of our shop in about 72 hours!

 

In total, I spent just under an hour fixing up this dresser. Imagine what you could do with just a little bit of time every weekend!


To see more details about this project, as well as a list of the products I regularly use to flip and restore old furniture, check out the original post { HERE}.


If you enjoyed this project, please like, save, and drop a comment to let me know! icon


And to see more projects, be sure to follow me here and also on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest @frenchcreekfarmhouse to keep up with all of my farmhouse-inspired DIYs!

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Kristi ♡ French Creek Farmhouse
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 4 comments
  • Helen Helen on Jun 13, 2021

    Fantastic job and thank you so much for posting how you accomplished this amazing redo.

  • Helen Helen on Jun 13, 2021

    And YES, I will definitely try this method on some furniture I purchased from Goodwill! In fact, after reading your post I’m not scared to try it! Thank you!


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