Scratches on an MDF Table Top What to Do at Home • About materials for repair

Due to the specific nature of their task, kitchen countertops are subject to intense wear and tear. They are affected by moisture, steam, and temperature changes. A countertop is a work surface on which food is cut, meat is beaten and hot pots are placed. All this leads to damage. Tabletops made of laminated chipboard wear out especially quickly.

If signs of wear appear on the surface of the kitchen table, it is not necessary to look for a replacement countertop. In most cases, repairing the damage is cheaper than buying new furniture. Moreover, it is possible to repair a chipboard product with your own hands. How to do this - read on.

Expert opinion

Strebizh Viktor Fedorovich, leading construction foreman

In addition, you can install internal closers; this will reduce contact with the glossy finish, and the door hinges will last longer. If you want to clarify something, please contact me!

Laminate surface repair

Quite often, kitchen furniture is made from chipboard - chipboards, which, for greater strength, are covered with a special film - laminated. But, nevertheless, this material is not resistant to moisture, high temperatures and intense mechanical stress.

You can repair a chip or other damage at home. To do this you will have to stock up on the following materials and tools:

• shavings (sawdust will also work);
• hairdryer;
• saw;
• PVA glue.

The process of restoring a laminated chipboard countertop consists of the following steps:

• You should turn on the hairdryer and warm up the damaged area;
• after drying, the peeled coating should be removed;
• the area is covered with a layer of glue and left alone for a quarter of an hour;
• prepare a mixture of sawdust or glue and infuse for 10-15 minutes;
• the composition is poured into the recess and compacted with a spatula;
• excess glue is removed and the table is left to dry for 24 hours.

To protect the countertop from moisture, especially in previously damaged areas, it is recommended to seal the most vulnerable areas with a sealant. This method is also suitable for removing chips on an MDF tabletop.

Upgrade with PVC film

Restoration does not always mean only returning facades to their original appearance and replacing fittings. Modern methods of decoration make it possible to change the appearance of a kitchen beyond recognition, using quite affordable means.

One of these options is vinyl film, or rather, a sticker with an image on PVC film. Moreover, the image can be anything - from a wood pattern to an ornament of any complexity or a landscape.

Quite often, this technique is used to change the style of the kitchen or simply diversify the design. To do this, decorate an area or two doors with a sticker. If they want to update their entire set, all facades are covered with vinyl film. The choice is entirely determined by the style of the room.

Paneled facades are very suitable for such kitchen renovations. The frames are painted or also covered with a film of a different color, and the inner surface is decorated with self-adhesive film.

The photo shows a successful solution in the Art Nouveau style.

Restoration of artificial stone countertops

Despite the strength of this material, flaws may appear on it and you can get rid of them at home. To remove a scratch from a kitchen countertop, a mixture of polyester resins is required, which makes even significant defects invisible.

The restoration proceeds as follows:

• around the damaged area it is necessary to clean the surface and degrease it;
• particles of material are removed from the recess, it is expanded and made deeper;
• the damage is covered with polyester resin and left to dry for 20 hours;
• Afterwards, the tabletop is sanded, first with an abrasive material and then with felt.

This kind of work is quite painstaking and requires certain skills in working with the tool. Therefore, if you have no experience, you can contact a specialist.

Fighting stains

To remove stains, stir a teaspoon of powdered oxygen bleach (sodium percarbonate) into a cup of hot water until the mixture dissolves. Wearing a nitrile glove, dip a stiff nylon bristle brush into the solution and scrub the wood for a few minutes. Repeat as needed to keep surface moist. The mixture will foam slightly and then subside. Wait 10 minutes for the bleach to work, then rinse thoroughly with a sponge and cool water.

Repairing damage to a plastic table

Quite a popular material used for the manufacture of kitchen furniture, which does not swell or get wet. However, mechanical stress on plastic furniture often leads to the formation of cracks or chips, especially in the kitchen.

To repair such a countertop, you will need a special adhesive composition intended for plastic products. This will allow the loose covering to be reattached.

If minor flaws appear on the table - cuts, scratches, then you can do without expensive glue; you can also use regular instant glue for these purposes.

If a large piece breaks off, then it is best to use Titan glue. The plastic is ground to a powder state, mixed with an adhesive, and the damaged surface is sealed with this mixture.

Repair or change

If the kitchen countertops in your home are showing signs of wear and tear, you'll need to decide how you'll solve the problem. The debate about the cost of repairing countertops versus replacing them with new models never ends. This is one of the key points we will cover in this article. You need to ask yourself a few questions:

You probably won't want to install new laminate over a damaged countertop, but if you do, you probably won't be the first to do so. A large number of homeowners resort to this not the most aesthetic, but the cheapest method. Types of countertops that can be refinished or replaced include tile, cultured stone, laminate and chipboard. Plus, you can refinish solid wood countertops rather than replace them.

Repair takes less time than replacement. When you compare the refinishing time to countertop replacement, you will see that one of the benefits of refinishing is that there is much less time spent outside the kitchen! When refinishing compared to replacing, the process can take less than a week, with the actual refinishing being completed in as little as 1-3 days depending on how bad the damage is.

When you compare the cost of repairing countertops to replacing them, you will see that you can save a lot of money by repairing countertops. This is especially true if you have good DIY skills and can do some or all of the work yourself. On average, homeowners save between 30% and 70% by refinishing or replacing countertops. The better your refinishing skills, the more you can save on countertop refinishing.

Restoring integrity to a glass tabletop

If chips or other defects appear on glass furniture, then restoration on your own is impossible. To remove even the smallest scratches you will need professional equipment. If there is significant damage, the table cannot be “reanimated” and there is only one way out - replace the product with a new one.

To protect the glass from scratches, it is recommended to use fabric coasters or cover it with a tablecloth.

Damage to the countertops can be associated both with poor-quality material from which they are made, and with improper use. However, regardless of the reason, in most cases, there are ways to fix it.

Important point

When deciding how to remove scratches from furniture of dark color, light or colored surfaces, you need to take one nuance into account. It is impossible to say with certainty that this or that shade is suitable for masking scuffs and defects.

Even if you have a good memory and great confidence in your actions, you cannot immediately apply a camouflage agent to the product. It is best to apply the chosen product in an area that no one will see. If the shades combine well, you can proceed to application to the front surface.

The main causes of scratches

Before you start eliminating scratches, you should find out the reasons for their occurrence. This is necessary in order to prevent the formation of defects in the future. The main reasons include:

1. Exposure to abrasive substances, including sand and dust. For this reason, minor and barely noticeable defects appear on lacquered furniture.
2. Damage caused by pets' claws or various sharp objects.
3. External mechanical influence. The largest and most problematic chips appear from impacts from furniture.

How to remove scratches

Detected defects can be removed using improvised or specialized means. If there is serious damage, it is possible to combine several methods.

Special marker

A marker has been created for processing a polished surface, which allows you to restore the attractive appearance of the product. The principle of operation of the marker is the penetration of microparticles into cracks and subsequent filling of the scratch. The marker is colorless and has a consistency similar to paints and varnishes. The applied substance on the surface is not washed off with water and creates protection against new scratches.

How to care for the surface to prevent new damage?

To prevent new scratches from appearing in the kitchen, you need to adhere to the following recommendations:

1. Do not attempt to polish the surface of cabinets with abrasive cleaners. It is unacceptable to use soda, a hard metal brush, or even a towel with large pile.
2. Some housewives use melamine sponges to remove stubborn stains. However, they are not suitable for processing glossy surfaces, as they leave behind damage invisible to the eye. Over time, dirt will clog in them and the surface will become cloudy.
3. To clean stubborn stains, you can only use special products designed for treating glossy surfaces.
4. Do not use aggressive household chemicals for glossy plastic. This applies to products based on chlorine, acid, and acetone. After them, the gloss will become rough and cloudy. Lack of quality protection is a direct path to scratches.
5. When cutting food, you need to use cutting boards.

By following these recommendations, you will be able to avoid new scratches in your kitchen.

Folk remedies

Various products have become popular among people that also effectively eliminate damage to furniture. Most of the methods described do not require any special costs and are easy to use.

Walnut kernel

When rubbing scratches with a walnut kernel, the damaged area is gradually filled with mass and becomes almost invisible. The procedure can be performed several times in a row to achieve a better effect. It is possible to replace the kernel with nut oil and wipe the scratches by applying the substance to a napkin.

Mayonnaise

The effectiveness of mayonnaise is ensured by its strong penetration into the wood structure. Mayonnaise should be applied to the damaged area several times with an interval of 2 hours. After treatment, the wood will swell and the crack will fill on its own. This method can eliminate defects on any wooden furniture.

Vinegar with vegetable oil

It is recommended to treat light furniture with a mixture of olive oil and vinegar, using the components in a ratio of 5:2. The damaged area is wiped with the mixture and left for a day for complete absorption. Then the furniture is polished with a rag.

Sandpaper

Fine-grained sandpaper helps remove defects on steel furniture elements. The damage is smoothed over with sandpaper and, if necessary, treated with putty. After the material has dried, paint is applied to match the color of the product to mask the area.

Mastic

You can paint over small scratches on wooden products with mastic. The material is distributed on the surface and rubbed with a napkin. To make your own mastic, you need to melt 40 g of wax, add 30 g of turpentine and a teaspoon of alcohol, and then mix thoroughly.

Colored crayons

Colored crayons contain wax, which allows you to paint over scratches. To achieve the desired effect, you just need to choose the right color crayons.

Paraffin

Candle paraffin is kneaded, applied to the damaged area and rubbed until the defect is eliminated. When processing glossy furniture, you need to wipe the surface with a soft cloth after completing the restoration. It is enough to remove the remaining paraffin from the matte surface.

Eyebrow pencil

Applying an eyebrow pencil to scratches can visually hide them.

The disadvantage of using this method is that the pencil wears out quickly, which is why you have to constantly touch up defects on the furniture.

By mixing ground coffee beans with a small amount of liquid, you get a semi-thick substance to remove scratches. Apply the substance to the scratches using a cotton swab or disk. You can eliminate defects with coffee only on dark furniture.

Lemon juice and oil

A mixture of lemon juice with vegetable or olive oil in equal proportions is also suitable for treating damaged furniture. The mixed components are applied to a clean, lint-free cloth and the surface is polished, making movements in the direction of the scratch.

How to hide deep cracks

Very noticeable damage to furniture cannot be easily hidden with improvised means. To restore the original appearance and restoration requires a comprehensive approach to solving the problem.

Preparing the site

Before starting work, you need to thoroughly clean the surface of the furniture from dust and dirt. The cleaned area is coated with a degreasing agent and allowed to dry. Also at the preparation stage, you need to decide what material will be used to hide defects.

Applying the material

The purchased material is applied with a suitable tool or cotton pad to the damaged area. When applying, try to ensure uniformity. Excess material is carefully removed with a spatula.

Grouting the surface

After treating the scratched areas, you need to wipe the surface. During this procedure, the furniture coating becomes smoother and more even. As a rule, fine-grained sandpaper is used for grouting.

Painting

A layer of paint is applied on top of the applied masking material, which matches the color of the rest of the furniture. Paint not only visually hides defects, but also provides additional protection against new damage.

Useful tips

Oddly enough, amateur attempts to repair chips or restore more serious damage to furniture sometimes cause more damage than simply tinting or painting a furniture touch.

For example, you should not use water-based dyes to fill scratches, cracks and swelling of furniture veneer. Do not use iodine, strongly brewed tea, an aqueous solution of potassium permanganate, watercolors, gouache, or car varnishes. As an exception, you can temporarily mask scratches on furniture with walnut.

All of the above can hide the damaged area for a while, but, as a rule, it causes swelling of the decorative coating due to swelling of the wooden base of the furniture.

The largest chips and even breaks, which often happen on armrests or the ends of doors, cabinets, especially kitchen furniture, can be treated by applying a repair varnish layer to the entire front surface. In this way, it is possible to preserve the mirror of the lacquered surface, and this is the most important thing in the restoration of wooden furniture. If you repair chips and the entire panel of furniture with “solid” varnish, then the damaged area may not be visible even with the most careful examination.

Features of working with glass surfaces

In order not to damage the fragile glass surface, you need to take into account a number of nuances during processing. The main rule is to be careful. It is also important to select suitable products that do not harm glass products to complete the work.

Paste GOI

Deep scratches on glass can be removed using GOI paste. If possible, glass should be removed from furniture for ease of processing. A small amount of paste is applied to the fabric and spread over the surface. Then rub the product in a circular motion into the damaged areas. Remains of GOI paste after treatment are removed with a damp cloth.

Nail polish

Minor scratches on the glass coating can be easily masked with nail polish. A prerequisite is the transparency of the varnish. The substance must be applied with a brush to the scratched areas and wait until the varnish fills the crack and dries. The remaining varnish is carefully wiped off the surface with a soft cloth.

Restoring the appearance of products made from other materials

Leather products are restored using beeswax or specialized wax. If the color is suitable, the scratches are masked with nail polish.

The same result can be obtained after treating leather upholstery with vegetable oil.

Plastic surfaces are softened with a powerful hair dryer. The procedure is performed carefully so as not to deform the product.

Electrically driven tools are used to grind durable metal.

Such products are processed with a consistent reduction in the grain size of the abrasive material. At certain stages you can apply the “GOI” post. If the technological operations are carried out with high quality, you will get a perfectly smooth mirror surface.

Expert opinion

Strebizh Viktor Fedorovich, leading construction foreman

Universal products in this category are suitable for the restoration of products made from solid wood, fiberboard, chipboard, laminate, plywood, cork, and some polymer materials. If you want to clarify something, please contact me!

How can you restore furniture made from laminated chipboard?

Furniture made from laminated chipboard is found in every home and office. This is the most budget-friendly and quite decent-looking furnishing option. In more expensive versions of furniture, only the body is made from chipboard, while the facade part is made from MDF with various types of cladding (PVC film, veneer, enamel) and solid wood. MDF and solid surfaces may also require restoration, but we will not talk about them. This article contains information on how to restore chipboard with a laminated surface with your own hands .

Do-it-yourself chipboard restoration can be of several types:

• Restoring the color of a worn (worn) surface.
• Masking chips and scratches on the surface.
• Restoration of chipped ends of chipboard furniture.
• Restoration of places with torn fasteners and hinges.

Each of the defects requires its own approach to restoration and a different set of available tools.

Other popular methods

There are some scratches that can be easily removed with steam. The only drawback of this method is the possible damage to some types of surface.

Therefore, it is not suitable for everyone. Deciding

, this option should be considered as one of the possible ones.

Before you start processing, you need to prepare gauze and a modern iron with steam in advance. The gauze needs to be folded in several layers, pour water into the iron and release steam from it. By performing these simple steps, you will notice how the wood swells and the scratch gradually disappears. But you should understand that this method will be effective for minor scratches. And for damage on white surfaces, shoe polish is good.

Restoration of chipboard furniture: what you might need

• Soft furniture wax (wax putty). Used to seal chips, scratches, cracks on wooden and laminated surfaces of cabinet furniture, interior doors, laminate and parquet. Provides moisture resistance to the restored surface.
• Hard furniture wax (melt putty). Requires melting before use (for example, using a lighter, soldering iron or gas torch). Application is similar to soft furniture wax. Recommended for restoration of chipboard surfaces with high intensity of use (countertops, shelves, floor coverings).
• Retouching agents - felt-tip pens or alcohol-based markers, valve and fiber. With their help, the texture of the material at the restoration site after waxing is completed to make it less noticeable. Ordinary felt-tip pens in shades that match the furniture, strokes, paints, even shoe polish and iodine will also work.
• Fixing varnishes, polishes (best in the form of sprays and aerosols) for surface treatment after restoration. For coating after restoration of defects, returning surfaces to their former shine, masking abrasions and minor scratches.
• Melamine edging with adhesive for replacement trim.
• Two-component epoxy composition, PVA, dowels (chops), wooden plugs for filling holes from torn hinges and other fasteners.
• Tools – plastic spatula, sandpaper, abrasive sanding sponge (fine), utility knife, hair dryer or iron, chisel, non-woven wipes and rags for finishing.

Natural wood

If you determine that a wood countertop needs refinishing, you must first remove any food debris, grease or oil so that the countertop is thoroughly cleaned before beginning the polishing process. If there are scratches or stains on the countertop, remove them by sanding the surface. Avoid using polyurethane or varnish on a wood countertop because if moisture is present it can seep through cracks and scratches in the sealant and damage the countertop.

The sandpaper you use will depend on the extent of damage to your countertop. If the wood is heavily scratched, use 80-grit sandpaper to remove those scratches. To restore the smooth surface of the countertop, finish sanding with fine-grit sandpaper. If scratches remain, use a coarser grit.

Restoration of faded and worn chipboard countertops

Often, during use, chipboard countertops and cabinet covers wear out.

A tabletop that has faded from abrasion without severe defects on the surface (deep scratches, cracks) can be restored as follows:

• Select the coloring agent according to its shade. It is best to use felt-tip pens - you can moisten a rag with them and rub in soft circular motions and walk across the tabletop until it acquires an even color. Then fix the tint with a fixing varnish.
• In some cases, it is enough to treat a chipboard tabletop with polishing mastic with pigment (available for sale for light and dark furniture) or polish for laminated furniture. After applying the product, the surface must be polished with special lint-free wipes.

Restoration of chips and scratches on tables, cabinets and cabinets made of chipboard

Chips at the ends of lids and table tops, especially at radii, are not uncommon for children's and office furniture.

They can be removed altogether if the end of the furniture is covered with melamine edge. To do this you need:

1. Purchase a new melamine edge with glue of the desired shade and thickness (it is usually sold in strips in the same place where chipboard and furniture fittings are sold).
2. Remove the old edge by heating the end with an iron.
3. Sand the end using a chisel and sandpaper until the chips disappear.
4. Apply the new melamine edge using an iron, carefully cut off the excess with a utility knife and sand with a sponge or fine-grained sandpaper.
5. If necessary, tint along the edge - with a stroke or felt-tip pen.

If the chips are deep enough and it is not possible to grind them off, then such defects can only be masked:

1. Process the chips, clean them from dirt and give them a more regular shape with straight edges using a chisel.
2. Select the shade of furniture wax. Sometimes you have to mix several different crayons; in its pure form it is unlikely that you will be able to find the right color.
3. Using a plastic spatula, lightly fill the chip with furniture wax and compact thoroughly.
4. After the wax has dried, carefully cut off the excess using a spatula or a utility knife until the surface is level and the edge is straight.
5. Sand with a rag, if necessary, restore the texture close to the overall chipboard pattern using retouching felt-tip pens (short thin lines, smearing the borders with a napkin). Afterwards, fix the result with a fixing varnish.

In a similar way, deal with scratches and dents - select the wax or stroke according to the shade, fill it until it is level with the surface, sand it, retouch it and treat it with a fixing varnish or polish.

Restoration of a chipboard cabinet

Do-it-yourself restoration of a cabinet made of chipboard may also be necessary in cases where hinges and other fasteners are pulled out of the side walls due to excessive load.

Since the hinges cannot be moved to another location, they have to be strengthened somehow, the place of the torn fastener restored, and screwed in again. This can be done in the following ways:

1. Drill out the joint with a drill with a diameter of 8 mm and drive in the chop. You can then screw a self-tapping screw with fasteners into it, but only after drilling with a thin drill - otherwise the chop may burst. If the edges of the chip do not overlap with the fittings, by analogy with the cases discussed above, fill them with furniture wax of a suitable shade and polish them.
2. After drilling out the joint and cleaning the chipboard from crumbling parts, you can fill it with a two-component epoxy compound or glue mixed with shavings. After hardening, you can screw in the fasteners.

Restoration of chipboard facades

The front part of furniture made of chipboard can rarely be restored. Similar procedures for filling scratches, cracks and dents with furniture wax turn out to be ineffective. Because light hits the surface differently, it is impossible to make defects less noticeable. Usually they resort not to the restoration of damaged chipboard facades, but to the actual renovation of the entire facade part of the furniture:

• They are covered with wallpaper or covered with artificial leather. To do this, it is recommended to remove the facades and twist the handles - this will make it neater.
• They use photo printing, hand painting and decoupage techniques. The pattern can be applied exactly to the location of the defect, and not over the entire surface of the chipboard facade.
• The facade is decorated with self-adhesive moldings and various overlays. You can find out more about furniture decor here.
• Glue strips of melamine tape of a similar or contrasting shade. If you think through the concept, this disguise of damage can look like a design technique.