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I often get sent pictures from my readers of furniture they…

a) found on the side of the road (Rock on brave girl!)

b) received for free from a family member/neighbor/friend (LOVES me friends like that!)

c) bought cheap at a yard sale, thrift store, etc. (score!)

I get asked questions like, “What can I do to get rid of this blemish? How do I hide this mark? What do I do if a chunk of wood is missing? Do you have any ideas of what I can do to make this look better?”

So I thought I would take a post to answer how I handle the issue of blemishes, cracks, wood chips, etc.

Here is a perfect example of a piece of free furniture that needed a little TLC before it became usable in my home.  I was on the lookout for a TV stand for the new family member moving into our home (more on that later…no I am not pregnant, thankyouverymuch).

IMG_1619 I found it with knobs falling of and stickers on them…

IMG_1620 And chips and digs everywhere…IMG_1621IMG_1724

However it had a few things going for it.  Number one it was solid wood, number two it was the right height and length for the space it needed to go in and number three it was free.

So I gathered a few supplies…

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Wood filler is great for scratches, holes, and minor blemishes in the furniture.  I just apply a little to my finger and smear it into the needed area.  Let it dry according to the package directions and sand it smooth.  IMG_1727 However what do you do when there is a good amount of wood missing and wood filler doesn’t cut it?

IMG_1724There are several options but the easiest and quickest answer I always give is, “Cover it!”  You can add molding, fabric, embossed wallpaper or even paint sticks like I did on my Roadkill Rescued Hutch.  Read more about that here.

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So that is exactly what I did on this TV stand…

Chipped drawers got some one inch batten board molding around the edges.

IMG_1725 The chunks of wood missing at the bottom got some door casing around all three sides…

IMG_1726 When you are going to paint the piece covering it with molding is the easiest, quickest, and often cheapest way to make your piece move in ready.

Using a miter saw or miter box and hand saw cut your pieces to size.  I like my corners mitered because it gives it a finished look but you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to.

I wood glue the pieces in place and then shoot nails into them with my air nail gun.  If you don’t have an air nailer use a hammer and small brad nails.

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Then using wood filler fill in the nail holes and then sanded it.  I also like to caulk all the edges of the molding to give it a seamless look.IMG_1728 A little trick when applying caulk…put a bead around your seam.  Then dip your finger in water and smooth out the caulk line.  It turns out perfect.  Here is the TV stand sanded, molded out, filled in with wood filler, nailed and caulked.  I also added a support piece in the middle because the top was starting to bow.

IMG_1732 I will paint it tomorrow and hopefully give you a peek.  Do you have furniture that you don’t know what to do with?  How about add some molding to give it interest and hide its imperfections!

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15 Comments

  1. We did this with a grody Wal-Mart entertainment center that a friend had left behind in my apartment years ago. We were going for more of a rustic look, so my fiance put simple 1 x 4's around the bottom edge with big rounded carriage bolts for detail. Great post!

  2. beckie… that's gonna look great! Jamie was just talking to me today about an entertainment center she wants to do something to. I sent her this link.
    take care!
    gail

  3. Thanks for talking us through a remodel of a roadside treasure. The idea with the molding round the broken edges is brilliant.

  4. Thanks for the ideas! I'm currently working on a piece of furniture that I got out of the dump and it has some issues :).

  5. Seriously so cool! Great idea to hide imperfections…I've always been on the "paint over it" bandwagon but this is a way better idea! Great job!!

  6. LOVE it…can't wait to see the finished version!!!

    Thanks for sharing!!!

    Kelly

  7. LOL You don't know how many times I've wanted to ask about our old wood-laminate side table. The laminate is coming off around the (rounded) edges and is chipped in other places. The bones are great, but I'm not even sure if laminate can be painted…

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