scratched desk help

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:39 pm

When I moved into my new building a couple weeks ago, on the desk there was a big scratch. Here are a couple pictures of it beside a regular sized pencil, for size and length comparison.

I feel like there should be something that would cover it up or make it go away but I don't know what kind of product that would be. Would they sell it at a place like Walmart or would you have to go to a furniture store?

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:48 pm

Is the desk solid wood, wood veneer, or melamine (plastic that looks like wood)?

Is there a finish on it?

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:49 pm

It's either solid wood or wood veneer. I'm not sure I know the difference. It's not fake wood, I know that much because it has splinters and it smells like wood.

I don't know how to tell all the things you ask, such as if there is a finish on it. How do I tell?

When it gets wet, the scratch almost dissappears.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 9:31 pm

When I look at the picture, it looks more like something on top of the surface of the wood rather than a scratch that has actually gouged out some wood. Is it really dug down into the wood? It isn't something on the surface? Like some paint or something like that?

Roger O'Keeffe · Post by **Roger O'Keeffe** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:09 am

Cynth wrote:When I look at the picture, it looks more like something on top of the surface of the wood rather than a scratch that has actually gouged out some wood. Is it really dug down into the wood? It isn't something on the surface? Like some paint or something like that?

Seems like that to me too. You could start trying to remove it with what I would call a rubber but what, as I discovered to my considerable embarassment many years ago, Americans apparently call an eraser.

If that doesn't work, you could try a cloth and a very mildly abrasive product such as is sold for cleaning kitchen worktops, and follow up with a polishing spray, both of which you should be able to get in the cleaning products section of an ordinary supermarket.

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:26 am

Or you could get a large desk calendar, also called a desk blotter, which might cover it depending on the location and is also a handy way of keeping track of activities and deadlines.

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 2:35 am

From my Mother's old Magazines, I remember the advice was to use a wax crayon of the colour surrounding the scratch. Then sparingly, reapply thin varnish. Rub it down with fine emery paper and reappy varnish.

This assumes you have all the time in the world.

Meadhbh · Post by **Meadhbh** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:25 am

If it is a scratch and it is solid wood you could try peanut butter. This sounds crazy, but my Mom would put peanut butter on scratches in the living room (floor), wait a while, and then wipe it off. The oil would soak in and the scratch was pretty much gone.

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 8:37 pm

When it gets wet, the scratch almost dissappears.

You could try just some furniture oil, like lemon oil, then. If that does not do it, check out somewhere like Lowes, in the stain department. You can buy a "crayon" to rub in the scratch that is close to the color of your wood. The alternative would be to take some sandpaper and "elbow grease" to it and follow up with a coat of sealant.

I'm like the others though, it looks like a mark on topof the surface from the pictures- in which case just use the elbow grease and some cleaner.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 10:20 pm

It could be awfully easy to mar the finish with any, even slightly abrasive cleaner or even a strong household cleaner. An eraser probably would be okay. You might try your fingernail to see if you can scrape it off---anything harder may scratch the surface. Ive just had so many bad experiences where I end up worse than when I started

. I'd probably go with Avanutria's idea myself.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 10:26 pm

It's not on the surface, it's cut into the surface. Does that make sense? It's a scratch (I thought I already said that, but maybe I was unclear). I will try the oil and the eraser. Thanks all!!

Charlene · Post by **Charlene** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 10:38 pm

Those crayons that were mentioned work fairly well. Find a store that sells paint and they should be in that general area. You might even be able to buy a small can of stain in the same color and paint over the scratch. (Open the window if you do this - stain has a much stronger odor than paint!)

Edited to add - these are the type of crayons you are looking for, you probably can buy just one color in a store: http://www.mileskimball.com/shopping/pr ... uctID=3754

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 10:52 pm

There can be two causes for the kind of damage you're looking at--either the wood is scraped away, as in gouged, or it is dented. If the former, then you need to fill it something--"dent and scratch" crayons from a hardware store (in home depot they're in the paint department) should do the trick, but they're not particularly invisible when used for something of that size.

If the wood is dented, however, you can try to re-expand the crushed fibres by the juducious application of a little steam--you could try lying a damp cloth over the wound, and then patiently warming it up with a fabric iron, a little at a time, to see if the wood rebounds.

Here's a discussion of the more intricate art of using steam to raise a dent on a guitar top:

http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier ... mout1.html

alurker · Post by **alurker** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 11:56 pm

I wouldn't worry about it.

It's only a scratch.

Roger O'Keeffe · Post by **Roger O'Keeffe** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 4:00 am

alurker wrote:I wouldn't worry about it.

It's only a scratch.

http://www.mwscomp.com/movies/grail/grail-04.htm