Wooden objects-be it furniture, frames, tabletops, or wooden toys-in homes, shops, or garages can accidentally catch fire due to wear and tear from everyday use. While there's no way to repair wood that's completely turned to ashes, you can remove minor burn marks relatively easily. If you're cleaning some areas of hardwood-such as ash, oak, or beech floors-the best way to do this is to sand or scrape off the burnt area before patching it with epoxy.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Repairing Burnt Wood Surfaces
Step 1. Purchase soft steel wool to scrape the burnt surface
Steel wool is especially effective for small, shallow burns, such as those from cigarette embers. Visit your local hardware store and buy the softest steel coir they sell. Coir with the number 0000 (the softest) is an ideal choice. If you can't find steel wool at a hardware store, go to your local home supply store.
Unlike sandpaper, the smaller the number of steel wool, the softer the texture. However, “soft” steel wool is marked with a different zero. For example, steel coir 000 is “very soft” and 00 is “soft”
Step 2. Wet the soft steel wool with mineral oil
Before rubbing the steel coir over the wood, pour about teaspoon (2.5 ml) of mineral oil over the coir. The mineral oil will lubricate the coir fibers and prevent them from scratching the wood.
Purchase mineral oil at a hardware or home supply store. If mineral oil is not available, use another non-drying oil, such as lemon oil
Step 3. Rub the wet steel wool back and forth along the burn
Hold the steel wool in one hand and rub it in one direction over the burning hardwood part. Rub in the direction of the grain of the wood, not across (otherwise the damage will be more severe). After scrubbing 10-12 times, you will notice that the burn marks start to disappear significantly.
Keep rubbing the steel wool until all the burn marks are gone
Step 4. Dry the oily area with a clean damp cloth
Once the burn marks are clean, take a clean piece of cotton cloth and drain some water from the faucet. The cloth should be slightly damp. So, squeeze out the excess water as dry as possible. Do not scrub the wood back and forth, but gently press the cloth against the oily surface to absorb the oil left behind by the steel wool.
- If the cloth is too wet, water stains will remain on the wood.
- You do not need to apply any furniture polish when dealing with minor burns. In almost all cases, the oil is sufficient to seal the area.
Method 2 of 3: Repairing Deeper Burns
Step 1. Scrape away the deeper burn marks using the cutter blade
The only way to remove burn marks that are deeper than 0.3 cm is to scrape them off. Take a cutter knife and scrape the burnt part with the tip of the blade to clean the damaged wood. Do this in short strokes and make sure you scrape the wood along the grain, not across it.
Purchase a cutter knife (and a spare blade if you prefer) at a stationery store. Some hardware stores also sell them
Step 2. Smooth the damaged area with fine grit sandpaper
If the wood around the burn marks is not damaged when the charred area is scraped off, you can smooth the surface of the wood with sandpaper. Sand in the direction of the wood grain (not across) in a back and forth motion until the grooves (burnt areas) are smooth.
Your local hardware store will definitely sell sandpaper. Choose fine-grit sandpaper with a number around 360 or 400. (When it comes to sandpaper, a higher number indicates a finer texture.)
Step 3. Wipe the wood shavings with a damp cloth
After you finish scraping the burn marks and sanding the wood surface, you will be left with a small pile of shavings. To clean it, dampen a rag and wipe it along the wood surface.
The rag should be slightly wet. Otherwise, the wood shavings will not be completely clean
Step 4. Apply a coat of tung oil to the wood to restore its color
You can buy tung oil at a paint store or home supply store. Dip a clean cloth in tung oil and rub it over the burnt wood. Work in 10-15 cm long strokes and apply the oil in the direction of the wood grain, not across it.
- Depending on the color of the wood being repaired, you can also try using linseed oil. These two oils are similar and the only big difference is that flaxseed oil will turn yellow over time.
- However, it will work in your favor if the repaired wood has a yellow tint.
Step 5. Let the oil soak into the wood overnight
Because tung oil (and linseed oil) is non-drying, it can take several hours to absorb into the hardwood and fully absorb. So, follow the directions for use on the tung oil package as some manufacturers may recommend that you wipe the oil off instead of letting it soak into the wood.
If what you're repairing is a hardwood floor and you have children or pets at home, keep them off the greasy floor to dry later
Step 6. Fill the hollows with wood epoxy until they are level with the rest
Wood epoxy contains a number of chemical components that must be mixed together according to the instructions for use. Once the epoxy has reached a putty-like consistency, use a cloth to press the epoxy into the hole where the burn marks are.
- Allow the epoxy to dry overnight or for 6-8 hours. During this time, keep roaming children and curious pets away from the epoxy.
- A variety of wood epoxies can be found easily at your local hardware or home supply store.
Step 7. Sand the epoxy and wood surface using a coarse grit paper
80 grit paper is a great choice for this stage. Rub the sandpaper back and forth a few times over the dry epoxy until the surface is flush with the rest of the wood. Be careful not to over-sand the hardwood parts. You certainly don't want to accidentally scratch parts of the wood floor that aren't damaged.
When you're done sanding with 80 grit, try sanding again with 120 grit paper if you want, to make sure the epoxy is smooth
Step 8. Polish or paint the burnt patch that has been patched so that the color matches the surface of the other wood floors
Use a polish or paint based on consideration: whether the rest of the floor is painted or polished (in most cases, hardwood will need to be polished). Dip a 7 cm brush in the polish (or paint) and apply a smooth coat over the repaired area. Leave the polish (or paint) for at least 4-5 hours to dry, then apply a second coat, if the first is less dark than the rest of the wood surface.
If you're not sure the exact color of the hardwood floor, test a sample of paint or polish before using it. Try it on a small, invisible wooden corner
Method 3 of 3: Cleaning Burnt Marks on Dark Wood
Step 1. Mix baking soda and water until it becomes a thick paste
If you are repairing a burn mark on a dark wood surface, the burn itself will likely be white. To clean it, mix 1 tbsp. (0.3 g) baking soda and tsp. (0.60 ml) of water in a small bowl. Use your fingers (or a spoon if you prefer) to stir the two ingredients together until they form a thick paste.
Keep the consistency of the pasta dry. If you add too much water to the mixture, the wood surface will leave a water stain
Step 2. Rub the paste onto the burn with a clean cloth
Dab a small amount of thick baking soda paste with the end of a clean cotton cloth. Gradually rub the paste onto the burnt wood to darken the color and eventually remove the burn marks thoroughly.
If one dab of paste isn't enough to get rid of the burn, apply another 2 or 3 dabs of paste
Step 3. Apply furniture polish to the repaired wood surface
Spray commercial wood polish onto a second clean cloth. After that, rub the polish onto the surface of the wood. The polish will remove gritty baking soda paste and help restore the repaired patch's color to match the rest of the wood. Wipe the wood in the direction of the grain and apply polish in fine strokes, each 20–25 cm long.
