How to Repair Furniture

Is it your first time repairing broken furniture by yourself? Allow us at Hometalk to help you out. We have video tutorials, slideshows, and discussion boards to help guide you. Read our top, best, and new furniture repair projects and see how other Hometalkers tackled their furniture repairs. Good luck and happy repairing!

How to Reupholster a Chair in 5 Easy Steps

Repair Any Type of Furniture

Bond broken wood with Bondo: For cracked wood, apply Bondo. Mix the two solutions and smooth the paste over the damaged area, then leave it to dry and sand.
Fix cracks with clay: For furniture, shape polymer clay to fit the damaged area. Glue in place and allow to set. Finally, trim with a knife and paint as required.
Don't paint scratches, stain them: Go over the surface with sandpaper before applying a gel-based wood stain with a foam brush. Lightly wipe the excess and allow to dry.
Use dowels for caster repairs: Drill into the hole, and insert a dowel. Cut to size and cover with polymer clay. Leave to dry, drill a new hole, and glue the caster in place.
Don’t just dry water stains: For water-stained wood, apply six coats of stain. Lightly sand between each one. Finally, soak copper handles in vinegar to remove stains.

More repairing categories

Top Projects for Repairing Furniture

We've compiled our top furniture repair projects right here. Prepare to be wowed.

How to Remove Water Stains From Wood

It happens. You can put out dozens of coasters, tell your friends and family a thousand times to be mindful of where they set their drinks, but eventually you’ll find yourself face to face with one of these unsightly stains.

Kasey

Repair That Missing Trim

That beautiful treasure you found is almost perfect. The exception is, there are a few pieces of the filigree or trim missing. The odds are you will never find a match and it can be quite expensive to have a furniture repair service recreate something that you will paint over. Here is how we do it at

Mike Macon

How to Repair Water Damaged Furniture

My SIL dropped off this poor coffee table at my garage last week that had been sitting in her shed in the mud for a couple of years. She didn't understand why I was so excited. I knew this solid oak table had great potential with a little TLC.

Pamela Field

How to Replace Brittle Cane Seats With Jute Webbing

These chairs were brought to me by a woman I met at a flea market over the summer. She saw some of my work and took my card, as she'd been looking for someone to repair her mother's antique dining chairs.

Chairished Furnishings

Using Bondo to Make New Feet

I needed to make new feet for a demilune table because only one of them had all the pieces and was round. So i made a mold of that good foot, filled it with bondo and smooshed it into place! Within an hour, it was dry enough to be sanded and I had perfectly round feet

Deer Run Revamps

HOW TO REMOVE A WATER STAIN FROM YOUR WOOD FURNITURE IN 5 MINUTES!

I was given a beautiful solid wood side-board from my mom when she sold her house. I loved everything about it, everything except the big water stain in the top corner! It had been caused by a cold drink on a hot day. And the stain had been there for as long as I can remember.I didn’t want to paint it because I really loved the chestnut finish. And the rest was in perfect condition. And I don’t have much experience was re-staining and my previous attempts had not been hugely successful.So I decided to try my best to remove the stain…

Valerie Burge

How to Reupholster With Leather

I saved $2500 by making this chair a diy project?!?! INSANE. Here’s how I did it...

Sawdust & Whiskey

How to Restore Your Garden Table

Last summer my husband kindly made us a large garden table from our old garden shed (you can read how here). It is a fabulous table, somehow it seems perfect for four but at a squeeze you can fit ten people round it. This spring we are tidying up the garden ready for summer- sadly we omitted to cover the table over winter, consequently some of the paint we had originally used on the table had started to peel.If you have some old wooden garden furniture with peeling paint and chipped or splintered wood, it’s really not that hard to make them look fantastic.Start by preparing the surface. Remove any loose paint, You can use a wire brush, or a filling knife to scrape off the loose paint.

Vickymcreations

Refinishing Wooden Slat Patio Chairs

One of my favorite things is taking old furniture and giving it new life! It's so rewarding to make something look new again with a fresh coat of paint or upcycle it into something with a new purpose. I bought a pair of old patio chairs at a garage sale and turned them into pretty seating for my patio!

Emily Counts

How to Repair a Mobile Home Counter Top

some mobile home counter tops are very hard to replace but you can fix them with some car body fill.

Les and Gina

How to Remove Water Stains From Wood

Kasey

Repair That Missing Trim

Mike Macon

How to Repair Water Damaged Furniture

Pamela Field

How to Replace Brittle Cane Seats With Jute Webbing

Chairished Furnishings

Using Bondo to Make New Feet

Deer Run Revamps

HOW TO REMOVE A WATER STAIN FROM YOUR WOOD FURNITURE IN 5 MINUTES!

Valerie Burge

How to Reupholster With Leather

I saved $2500 by making this chair a diy project?!?! INSANE. Here’s how I did it...

Sawdust & Whiskey

How to Restore Your Garden Table

Vickymcreations

Refinishing Wooden Slat Patio Chairs

Emily Counts

How to Repair a Mobile Home Counter Top

some mobile home counter tops are very hard to replace but you can fix them with some car body fill.

Les and Gina

Furniture Repair Videos

Need instructional videos to help you repair your broken furniture? See here.

Weaving a Ladder Back Chair Seat With Fiber Rush

I had a client with a family heirloom that wanted nothing more than to have the chair seat, that went with the set I was painting, re-weaved. This client knew I like a challenge so I told her I would research how to do it. It seemed a lot like the macrame' I did back in the 70's so I told her I thought we could do it. We did it!!! You can, too. My client was overwhelmed and loved it! Follow along to see how we did it!

Sharon Strothcamp Sumner

Rocking Chair Makeover: Chalked Paint and Upholstery

I found this old rocking chair at a local thrift store. It was in decent condition but had one lose arm and needed a new seat and back.

Emily / Relentless Furniture

How to Easily Repair and Cover Cat Scratches on Leather Furniture

Reluv is a fast and easy way to repair and color all your leather products. Furniture, handbags,shoes and boots. Reluv comes in Ebony, Mahogany and Chestnut (as show in demo) Try using Reluv Leather Renew by Heirloom Traditions Paint on all your leather products to renew and refresh the color and sheen while adding protection. Reluv Leather Renew is avaialble nation wide through our retailers. To find a retailer, visit our website and see the find a reatailer tab.

Heirloom Traditions Paint

5 Easy and Natural Cleaning Recipes That You'll With You'd Seen Sooner

Not a fan of cleaners that contain chemicals? We've got you covered! Here are 5 easy cleans you can make at home.

Kara S.

Hometalkers' Favorite DIY Furniture Repair Projects

Here are the best furniture repair projects on Hometalk. Take a look around.

Repaired, & Refinished Bench

This bench was badly weathered & some of the seat slats were starting to rot on the ends making it perilous to sit on, unless you were only a 10 lb. rat terrier named Forrest.

Katrina Warren

Easy Fix for Missing Drawer Pulls

I found this desk at a thrift store and fell in love with it at first sight! Overall it was in good condition except the center drawer was missing the drawer pull. No worries though -- there's an easy fix!

Patricia

First Upholstery Project Using HOT GLUE GUN!

Hello all, I hope your new year is starting well! This project is one that I have mulled over for quite some time, and finally decided to tackle it since I have moved this piece into the addition in my living room. It is a small loveseat that I purchased at a Goodwill for $25 bucks about 2 years ago...its been in my hiding in my boudoir, but now its ready to be revealed!!!

Jessie

Eliminating Scratches and Blemishes From Wooden Cabinets and Furniture

No matter how well we care for the wooden cabinets and furniture in our homes, wear and tear will always take its toll. We spill on them, drop things on and against them, and use their surfaces in ways that are less than desirable. Cabinets in our kitchens and bathrooms generally take the biggest beating, with scratches, burn and water marks, and even shallow dents, all producing challenges to those of us who would prefer not to have items in our homes with what many might call “character.” The good news is that minor scratches and many other blemishes are very easy to “fix.”

Kasey

How to Repair a Broken Dresser Drawer Pull

It goes without saying that things just aren't made to last these days. When the drawer pulls on my bedroom dressers began to break, I wondered how I could fix them without spending a lot of time, effort and money. If you have the type of hardware on your dresser that has a flat back plate with a swinging handle that has broken, you can make an attractive replacement. Here's how.

Marlene

Bondo to the Rescue

In order to repair veneer damage we often use bondo. It isn't porous so when you paint over it after sanding it doesn't look like there is a repair...just nice and smooth!

Rescued Furnishings

Repaired, & Refinished Bench

This bench was badly weathered & some of the seat slats were starting to rot on the ends making it perilous to sit on, unless you were only a 10 lb. rat terrier named Forrest.

Katrina Warren

Easy Fix for Missing Drawer Pulls

Patricia

First Upholstery Project Using HOT GLUE GUN!

Jessie

Eliminating Scratches and Blemishes From Wooden Cabinets and Furniture

Kasey

How to Repair a Broken Dresser Drawer Pull

Marlene

Bondo to the Rescue

In order to repair veneer damage we often use bondo. It isn't porous so when you paint over it after sanding it doesn't look like there is a repair...just nice and smooth!

Rescued Furnishings

Popular Repairing Furniture Discussions

Want to join the furniture repair discussion board? Give us your two cents!

How do I repair scratched white leather sofas?

/> Treewhisperer

View discussion

What to do with an electric sofa recliner that's stuck?

/> Lisaalt40

My electric sofa recliner is stuck in the feet up position. Will not retract. Unplugged, replugged nothing works

View discussion

How can I repair or replace the plastic broken web in my patio chairs?

/> Edna

Any ideas on how to repair or replace the webbed patio chair?

View discussion

Is there a way to fix burnt wood?

/> Nashwa

I set the kitchen on fire and partially damaged 2 cupboard units. I’m looking for creative DIY ideas to fix it without having to replace it with new ones

View discussion

New Furniture Repair Projects

Check out the new furniture repair projects. Grab a chair and join us.

Broken Patio Chair Rescue!!

After a long winter, the snow finally melted enough to assess the condition of the heavy wrought iron patio set that had remained outdoors.

Scarlett Butler

Jewelry Box With Missing Molding Fixed With Bondo

I found this vintage jewelry box that looks like a mini dresser. I absolutely adore it ❤ I came up with a refinishing game plan...a gorgeous green (Dixie Belle's palmetto), with copper accents and metal leaf (full tutorial here https://www.hometalk.com/diy/decorate/rooms/jewelry-box-makeover-using-metal-leaf-41494528 ) I got started with my typical prep...clean, sand, fill, sand, clean. Then started to lay on the palmetto, two coats to be exact. Then I finally noticed a piece of molding was missing on one of the small drawers! It don't know how it took prep and two coats of paint before I noticed 😄 My OCD wasn't going to allow me to let it slide. If you've checked out my previous projects, you know how much I love bondo! I use this stuff all the time! And again for this problem. I was able to make a mold using one of the good drawers and use that mold to make the new piece of molding that I needed. Here is step by step how I was able to save this project....

Deer Run Revamps

Easy Vinyl Repair and Repaint

As many of you know, we have recently moved our Heirloom Traditions Paint headquarters to a new building. We're very thankful to be through with the moving part and now we're on the fun part...DECORATING! And of course, we're doing it Easy DIY style. The store front had to get a little construction work done to it so we started with our conference room. You may seen our conference table on a past Hometalk Live. Its the one where we used Tissue Paper to create texture in the table to hide chipped veneer. The table turned out AMAZING! Now its time for our Facebook Market conference chairs to get a little love. We found these great, high end conference chairs on the market for $25 each! Most are in really good condition, but a few have some minor tears in the vinyl. No worries, we can fix that! Join us LIVE on Hometalk on Tues 10/3/17 at 8pm EST to see us fix the tears and repaint our vinyl chairs.

Heirloom Traditions Paint

Damaged Table Goes Coastal.

I was able to make a trip down to our vacation rental and most of time iI am making repairs and touching up paint and such. One of the projects was to address the wood table in the dining room that was damaged from guests and looking sad. I decided the way to handle all the heavy use it gets, was to give it a weathered distressed coastal look. I figured the multitudes of paint strokes would hide future dents and chips. Plus I had to replace the dining chairs with white chairs after finding one broken so I needed a design color to tie it all in. I think it turned out great. But you let me know.

Ruth

If It Falls Apart, Put It Back Together!

We found this desk at a Goodwill for $10. It was a beautiful desk but it was in desperate need of repairs. It was standing when we loaded it into the truck, but by the time we got home, the legs had started falling off. So I started piecing it back together.