"Don't you dare throw that out!"
Every time I go to put a piece of damaged furniture on the curb, my mom threatens to disown me. For her, a handy-woman who once built my brothers and I a two-story treehouse, anything is fixable. Meanwhile, I'm a millennial who can't imagine a world without IKEA. Still, I don't have the budget to buy new things every time I notice a scratch.
Fortunately, I helped a friend move and noticed his new landlord packing around a handful of markers. She told me she uses them in all of her listings to "touch up" things damaged by former tenants. Knowing all too well the imperfect house I was going back home to, I almost gave her a hug right then and there. Instead, I went on Amazon and ordered my own set of Furniture Repair Kit Wood Markers.
Furniture Repair Kit Wood Markers
For $10, they're worth a try
The first thing I noticed about these markers was how cheap they were. This set — which has a 4.5-star rating from more than 1,500 reviews — comes with six markers and six wax crayons in varying shades of black and brown, as well as a helpful crayon sharpener.
They worked on my bar stools
No, I don't have a pet beaver. But I have had several tenants with puppies who liked to gnaw on my furniture. The legs of the bar stools in my dining room took the brunt of the chewing, so they were the first place I tried my new markers. Since the markers are permanent, I was a little nervous at first. But then I realized I really had nothing to lose.
I used the dark-brown marker and wax crayon on the exposed, raw wood. Both worked great — especially the marker!
Now, guests can't tell my bar stool legs were once puppy chew toys in a previous life. As for my own puppy, he has a well-curated puppy starter pack, so he's been leaving my furniture alone (knock on wood).
They worked on my kitchen drawers
I don't know the origin of this small scratch on my most-used kitchen drawer, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that it's always bothered me and looks cheap for some reason.
Fortunately, "fixing it" was as easy as coloring it in with the mahogany marker. Now it looks like it's just a part of the natural wood grain and stain.
They also worked on my grandma's antique desk
One of my most prized pieces of furniture is an antique desk I inherited from my late grandma, which has always had a noticeable drip of white paint on one of the legs. I've never tried to scrape it off myself since it's an antique and I don't want to risk damaging the wood.
Instead, I decided to try to cover it with one of the markers. I wasn't sure if the marker would stick since the surface of the dried paint was slick. But it worked! Now you can't see the paint drip unless you get down at eye-level with it.
Maybe one day I'll have the desk refinished and will have an expert remove the paint, but until then, this quick fix works for me.
They even worked on my couch
While I didn't read anything about using these markers on fabric, that didn't stop me from using them on my couch. I was tired of being annoyed every time I saw the fleck of white couch frame in a ripped corner. Now I'm kicking myself for not having filled it in sooner.
It's look-good (and feel-good) cheating
I'm well aware that I'm not repairing anything when I use these markers or crayons. DIY folks like my mom might even go so far as to say I'm cheating. But if I'm a cheater for using this touch-up kit, that's fine with me. At least I'm not putting anything on the curb that doesn't need to be.
For more stories like this, check out:
- This $4 product makes messes 'disappear'
- The 9 best places to shop online for cheap home decor and furniture
- The best outdoor furniture and patio furniture to buy online
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