How to Repair Scratches on a Painted Black Desk

Unfortunately, scratches will show up clearly on a black desk. Fortunately, they are easy to repair. There are some clever tricks you can use to make the scratches disappear, using household items you probably already have. You also may be able to fix dents or indentations if the underlying surface is wood. If you're careful--and a little bit lucky--you should be able to repair scratches on a black painted desk, or any other piece of furniture, in less than an hour.

Iron
Damp towel
Shoe polish
Permanent marker
Soft rag
Furniture polish
Wood putty
Sandpaper
Primer
Black paint

Instructions

- 1
  Carefully fill the scratched indentation with water, saturating it until it stays wet. This technique is most likely to work if the desk is made of solid wood, rather than particle board or veneer.
- 2
  Place a damp towel or rag over the scratch and press a hot iron on the rag for several seconds. Repeat if this doesn't work the first time--make sure the water swells the scratch/indentation to make it flush with the surface. Let it dry completely.
- 3
  Use black shoe polish or a permanent ink marker to very carefully color the scratch. Keep the polish or marker on the scratched area, without scribbling too much onto the adjacent surface.
- 4
  Buff it with a soft cloth. If the repair looks a little duller than the surrounding paint, buff it with furniture polish.

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