Here’s a new-to-me tip from reader, Michelle:
I buy a couple of cartons of markers (broad-tipped) during the back-to-school sales every year and then “steal” the brown ones. I use these to touch up my wooden furniture that gets nicked or scratched.
Sometimes it doesn’t work (!), but usually I can doctor a new scar so that it doesn’t show by using a marker on that place and then rubbing off the excess with a soft cloth.
The rest of the pack(s) of markers are kept on hand for touching up ceramics that get nicked (use the same way as above) and for art projects or are given to youthful artists. (My daughter is nearly seventeen now, so doesn’t go through these the way she used to!) -Michelle
Debbie Rioux says
My black refrigerator was scratched when we moved it in. I covered the scratches with a permanent black marker. I have to redo it every so often but it does cover the scratches.
Mandy W. says
This is also a great tip for children’s shoes, especially dressy ones! I have saved many a pair of black “church” shoes, by coloring over the scuffs. I have always used permanent markers – I hadn’t thought to try the Crayola colored ones. Thanks!
Jody Susan says
My mom discovered that the brown magic markers also work for touching up bald spots when children try to cut their own hair. I take full credit for giving her that learning opportunity. 🙂
Theresa says
I am not sure if they have these at Target or Walmart, but if you go to a teacher store they have multicultural marker sets for drawing people, i.e. light peach through dark brown. They would be very useful for different finishes and types of wood.
becky says
I did this on a freecycle table. First time around I used brown marker, but with wiping the table after each meal, it wore off really fast. I then tried sharpie (black was all I had) and it was great–hid 90% of the scratches and dings.
Michelle Haviland says
Crystal, thanks for sharing! I forgot to mention this: Just to be safe, I never use these markers to touch up ceramics used for food service, only decorative items.
Blessings,
Michelle
Andrea says
I have a set a Sharpies (found on clearance a long time ago) designed for this type of thing. I’ve used markers to touch up picture frames, shoes and furniture.
Sonia says
My husband does the same thing with his shoes. Sometimes the top layer of his shoes peels off (we havent been able to figure out why) within a month or so of buying the shoes. So he uses a black permanent marker to simply color those spots black. We managed to do this on pretty big spots and they look great. Absolutely impossible to tell they have been “fixed” using a marker – unless you carefully examine the shoes – which nobody really does 🙂
Jessica Claire says
I have never tried that before but I think I might have to today! At least it’ll look better than it did with the chip in it! Thanks!
Pam says
You can use a crayon to fill in deeper scratches in furniture. Just fill it in and rub off any excess.
I also had a marble type beige no wax floor that would get digs and scratches. I would mix up craft paint with liquid paper to match the color, wiped of any excess, let it dry, and sealed the paint with clear nail polish. The scratch would disappear.
One more for the liquid paper. When I rented I had an apartment that had stains from mildew on the caulk line around the tub. I just painted it with the liquid paper after disinfecting the area and it covered the stains. It took a while to wear off and when the purple stain started to return I just reapplied.
april says
i do this with sharpies 🙂
Katie says
Ohhh my gosh I would NOT recommend doing this, but I have to share! When I was 16 I backed my car too close to a tree and got some scratches in the black paint. I didn’t realize it til I got home and I freaked out because my dad notices EVERYTHING. In a moment of panicked embarrassment, I grabbed the black Sharpie from my backpack and traced over each scratch. My husband uses the car today to drive to and from work, and my dad has still never noticed! Haha, again nothing I would recommend, but it got me out of a bind! 😉
Mrs. S says
I do the same thing with crayons. For shiny furniture, crayons can be buffed to match not only the color, but the shine as well. I usually have an easier time finding a crayon to match than a marker.
Heather says
At a hardware store, you can buy markers with real stain in them that are designed for such touch-ups.
I have also used regular colored markers to hide accidental bleach marks in clothes. Once I had a favorite dress that I washed at a laundromat – came out with bleached marks all over it. But I was able to find a purple marker to match, and you really couldn’t tell.
Becky says
I confess, I have used markers to touch up wood and furniture before. They do the job! It looks better than scratches/nicks. We do have stain for some colors of wood, but others I just use a Sharpie or other marker to touch up.
Wendy says
This works best on presswood, not solid wood furniture, but it does help! I’ve been able to get scuffed and scratched furniture from thrift stores for cheap. Brown or black marker helps make the scratches a lot less noticeable. Still not quite like new, but good enough to use in the “public” areas of the house without guests realizing my bookcase cost me $5!
Andrea says
I’ve had good luck on solid wood. I guess it depends on the color.
Stephanie says
I do stuff like this all the time. One of my favorites is to use permanent markers to touch up logos or designs on clothes. So many yard sale shirts just need a little touch up on their designs to look new again.