How to Repair a Deep Scratch on Painted Furniture

The top of this desk was damaged while it was in my booth, so I brought it home for repairs. It had a deep scratch about 3 or 4 inches long gouged into the paint on the top. Luckily the damage didn't penetrate the wood underneath the paint, so that simplified the repair process.

The top of the desk rests on the pedestal drawers, so I removed the top and took it outside. I didn't want to repaint the French Linen border, so I concentrated on sanding the area inside the border where the paint was damaged.

I sanded smooth the entire area within the border with heavier concentration on the scratched section. I concentrated on smoothing out the surface rather than actually removing all of the paint.

I taped off the grey border with painter's tape.

Tape off sections not to be painted.

To prevent the white paint from seeping under the tape and onto the grey border, I carefully painted a thin layer of paint at the edge of the tape and then let it dry completely before painting the rest of the surface. I lightly sanded the paint and then sealed it with clear wax.

Apply a thin coat of paint to prevent it from seeping under the tape.

Supply List for Repairs

Below are the supplies I used for this project (affiliate links).

• Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Products: Old White and soft clear wax. The base of the desk is painted in French Linen.
• Painter's tape
• Orbital sander 
• Tack cloth (for removing sanding dust)
• Flexible sanding pad