News and Information for Moving Claims Adjusters
Repairing Dents and Gouges in Furniture
by J. Timothy Wilson *
The most difficult repair in furniture restoration is touchups on damages in transparent finishes, especially on the top surfaces.
There are three levels of damage in finished woods:
- In the clear topcoat,
- In the coloring (stain, tinting toners, glaze, and/or shading stain), and
- In the underlying wood.
Unfortunately, most damages are found impacting all three levels. And, since so many types of finishes are used today, it's difficult to know exactly how the existing finish was started or completed.
When viewing repairs from different positions, like while walking around a dining table, the lighting can cause refraction that distorts the repairs, making them appear obvious. Lighting can make the restoration look unnoticeable from one position, while at another angle the repair is more visible.
For that reason, transparent repairs should be done in the same position where the piece will remain. If the damage is on a vertical plane, repair it in that same place. If the damaged area is perpendicular, then do your work in that position. The goal when working on see-through repairs is that completed restorations always remain transparent. Difficult to achive, but that is the goal.
Several techniques are used for transparent repairs, but this article will concentrate on two of the most common methods. The first one is where an impact has depressed or dented the finish and the wood. The second procedure involves the deeper types of damage, where portions of the actual wood were torn or gouged out of the furniture going below the surface finish and coloration.
Because all repairs in transparent finishes are tricky and problematic there is basically only one chance to do it right, so the repairer must observe both the damage and the type of finish being repaired. As with all repairs, start by de-waxing and cleaning both the damage and the entire surface to be worked on.
Repairs on "Dented" Wood
In this type of damage the underlying wood has suffered an impact, putting a dent or depression in both the finish and wood; everything else is otherwise intact. The wood fibers are not torn. They frequently look like ballpeen hammer dents.
Dents can be too shallow to allow successful repair. In such a case either the surrounding clear finish can be abraded to be more level or the dent made deeper to allow a reasonable repair.
These types of damages need to be clear-filled to keep the repair transparent. If any color touchup is needed, do it first.
For compatibility reasons, the repair process is easier when the same finish resin is used as the original coating on the furniture, but in finish repairs that is seldom known.
Repairs on “Torn” Wood
For the deeper damages down into the wood, start by using a sharp razor to remove any loose pieces of coating or wood splinters surrounding the damage, cutting the damages into an oval or other profile shape, as the cleaner lines are helpful in hiding finished repairs.
In this type of transparent repair the goal is to not fill the deeper damages in the substrate the same way you would in other finishes–fill only to the top of the wood line that is below the surface finish. This is where the wood ends and the coating starts; the space between the base filler to the top of the surface will be for the coloring and a clear filling. Use any coating resin as the base filler, or use any conventional filler, including wood powder fillers, wood dough and putty, epoxy sticks or burn-in sticks. When the base-fill hardens, use the tip of a folded piece of sandpaper to sand it level and smooth.
Next, clear-fill any remaining space.. As before, check to see if the clear coating on the piece is water-clear or amber with a sanding test in an inconspicuous spot. If color is needed in the clear filler, add dyes or reduced pigmented powders to maintain the transparency.
After the filler has hardened, a few clear coats over the filler will help join the repair to the original coating. If any sheen adjustment is needed, then sand, rub out or polish up to complete your repairs.
Time and waiting are the most valuable tools for all types of finish repairs. Each repair spot requires a series of steps. The only time advantage to multiple spots of damage is the ability to work each in sequence phases.
* Based on an article “Two ways to tackle the most difficult repair” by Mac Simmons in Woodshop News June 2003. We thank him for the concepts of his article
The Wood Works Inc of Overland Park (Greater Kansas City metro), Kansas 66202 —
Should not be used by others without giving due credits.
The Wood Works, Inc. (www.thewoodworksinc.com and themovingclaims.com) is located in the Kansas City metropolitan area. We have been serving our customers for 30 years in the areas of wood restoration and repair, moving claim resolution and repair, cabinet refacing and repair and interior and exterior shutters. |
