Your favorite coffee table got a cigarette burn and your are wondering what can be done to fix it. Following these easy steps you can easily repair any burn in wood furniture, from scorches to deep char burns.

Here is what you can do about a burn in a piece of wood furniture

scorches from cigarettes or cigars can be removed as long as the damage is contained to the surface of the furniture and it does not extensively affect the wood.

shallow char burns can be repaired but will leave a slight indentation in the surface of the wood

deep char burns can be filled with wood putty, wood filler or shellac sticks

How to repair/fix scorches from cigarettes or cigars in wood furniture

buff the scorched area until the scorch disappears – use a fine steel wool pad moistened with mineral spirits

wipe the area clean with a soft cloth

wax and polish the entire surface of the furniture

How to repair/fix shallow char burns in wood furniture

remove all the burn finish with a flat-blade craft knife

scrape away the charred wood to the bare wood – use the same flat-blade craft knife to remove the burn; do not scratch the burn spot

feather the edges of the depression with the same flat-blade craft knife

level the surface as mutch as possible by sanding lightly the edges of the resulted hole, groove or trench – do not damage the surrounding finish

after sanding the burn, clean the area with a soft cloth lightly moistened in mineral spirits and let dry

apply the original finish (lacquer, varnish, shellac, etc) of the furniture with an artists’ brush and let the spot dry

lightly buff the surface with steel wool

wax and polish the entire surface for a consistent look

How to repair/fix deep char burns in wood furniture

remove all the burn finish with a flat-blade craft knife

scrape away the charred wood to the bare wood – use a curved-blade craft knife to remove the burn and avoid scratching the burn spot

feather the edges of the depression with the same curved-blade craft knife

level the surface as mutch as possible by sanding lightly the edges of the resulted hole, groove or trench – do not damage the surrounding finish

test if all the char has been removed by dropping a small amount of water onto the sanded area

remove more wood, if the water makes the burned area look burned again

sand again, retest with water and remove more wood until you get rid of all the char

after sanding the burn, clean the area with a soft cloth lightly moistened in mineral spirits and let dry

apply the original finish (lacquer, varnish, shellac, etc) of the furniture with an artists’ brush and let the spot dry

lightly buff the surface with steel wool

wax and polish the entire surface for a consistent look

Tips

if the resulting depression is no so deep, swell the wood to make the burn area less noticeable

if the resulting depression is a deep gouge, fill the gouge with wood putty, wood filler or shellac sticks

Here is how you can swell a depression in the surface of wood furniture

apply a few drops of water into the wood depression and let it penetrate the wood for about a day

if the depression does not swell, drive a series of small holes in the dent with a fine pin or needle and apply few water drops again into the dent



for very stubborn depressions, place a thick damp cloth over the depression and press the cloth firmly with a warm iron

if this still does not raise the depression, apply a commercial wood-swelling liquid into the depression following manufacturer’s instruction

let the wood dry for about a week once the wood depression has been raised