Furniture Touch-Up Markers and Wax Sticks, Light to Dark Wood

Most old chair frames have a few scratches, pale worn edges and the odd chip. Before you think about refinishing, see how far touch-up gets you. These markers and wax sticks come in wood colors from light to dark and deal with small marks without stripping anything.

Two tools for two kinds of damage:

• Markers color a scratch or a worn edge where the finish is gone and pale wood shows through.
• Soft wax sticks fill small chips, dents, nail holes and old tack holes, where there is a hollow to fill as well as a color to match.

Using the markers:

• Clean the spot and let it dry.
• Start with a color a shade lighter than the wood. It is easier to go darker than to take color off.
• Draw along the scratch, not across it, and wipe any color off the finish around it straight away with a soft cloth.
• Let it dry, look again in daylight, and go over it again or step up to a darker marker if it still shows.

Using the wax sticks:

• Rub the stick across the hole, pressing the wax in until it is slightly overfilled. Warming the stick in your hand softens it.
• Scrape it level with the edge of a plastic card and buff with a soft cloth.
• If no single color matches, knead small pieces of two sticks together in your fingers.

Wax sticks stay soft, so they suit small holes in finished wood, not wood you still plan to sand and stain. For a frame you are going to refinish, fill with a sandable, stainable wood filler first, and keep the markers and wax for touch-ups after the finish is on. The clean and refinish project page lists everything for the whole job.

Look at the damage first. If it is only scratches and pale worn edges, the set of 3 markers in light, medium and dark is enough: start light and build up.

If there are chips, dents, nail holes or old tack holes as well, choose a kit with wax sticks. The 13-piece kit adds wax sticks and a sharpener. The 21-piece kit gives you more pieces to match and blend, which helps with a mixed set of chairs or a frame with several tones in it.

To pick a color, hold the markers against the wood in daylight, on the part of the frame that sees the most light, and try your choice on a hidden spot first.