When your furniture is scratched or stained, a quick wipe with the best furniture refinishing markers can make it look like new again. Top-quality markers are available in a variety of colors to match your furniture and dry in 30 minutes or less, so you can apply multiple layers at once. The most common refinish marker formulas are ink (sometimes called dye) or stained markers; inks are suitable for many different types of surfaces including wood and vinyl, while stain formulas are only suitable for wood. Both types of touch-up markers are buildable and mixable, so if you're not sure which color to use, start with a lighter color to see how it dries, then feel free to mix the colors to get the A perfect match. For more specialized jobs, such as refinishing paint or leather furniture, there are pens designed for these specific types of refinishing.
Ink refinish markers are truly a versatile workhorse for most furniture, providing neat repairs to scratched wood, vinyl or laminate, and more. Their color stays true and doesn't lighten or darken when dry. This type of marker is also editor-approved—editor Kori Perten has used it with major success to improve the look of scratched items in her home. A stain marker, on the other hand, is essentially a wood stain in a marker-style applicator. Because you're dealing with stain, the pigment will soak into the wood so it won't wear off as quickly, even after the furniture is washed or polished. While stains provide a longer-lasting repair, they can be messy to apply and don't absorb well into non-wood materials like laminate. They also dry to a slightly darker shade, so finding a matching color can be a little tricky. It's worth noting that neither type of touch-up marker can actually fill scratches or dents, so if you want to smooth the surface and restore color, you'll need to purchase a marker kit that also includes a crayon.
While ink markers are versatile and can be used to cover scuffs on leather or faux leather furniture, there are also specialized refinish markers designed to match the tone of the leather and blend in perfectly. If you want to spruce up painted (rather than stained) furniture, your best bet is an empty brush set that you can fill with the paint of your choice.
No matter what type of furniture you're looking to improve, the best furniture refinishing markers include a variety of color options for an instant new look. the most important is? All of these sets cost less than $20.
1. Furniture refinishing kit with ink pens and crayons
Esest's affordable touch-up kit comes with ink pens and crayons to fill scratches and restore color. Each of the eight markers comes with a matching color crayon. There's even a crayon sharpener.
If you want to cover shallow dents and scratches, you can use just a marker, but if you have deeper blemishes, you'll need to use both a marker and a crayon. Simply start with a light-colored wax to fill in the imperfections, then seal with a marker of the same color. Add layers and gradually move towards darker tones until you get the perfect match. The ink dries in seconds, so you can do all of this and have your furniture looking almost new in minutes.
In addition to the five popular wood tones, there are eight available, including white, gray and black, so you have more options if your furniture isn't the typical wood tones like oak or cherry.
According to one reviewer : "My dining room table and chairs were damaged the last time I moved. There were also a lot of small scratches on the tabletop that caused the finish to crack. It was such a joy to use this product to repair the table and chairs . If you look closely at the chair you can see where I covered up the gouge. No, it didn't disappear, but the eye was no longer drawn to the imperfection. After finishing the dining room, I started working on the rest of the oak furniture. , and the other minor flaws were fixed and everything looks like new again. I highly recommend this product.”
2. Affordable 6-Pack Ink Furniture Refinish Markers
For a super affordable way to cover up shallow scratches, these Rejuvenate Ink Touch Up Markers will get the job done for under $10. You get six shades, from light maple to rich espresso. However, Rejuvenate also sells these markers bundled with light and gray shades, or with a set of matching crayons for filling in scratches.
No matter which set you choose, all marker shades are blendable, so you can mix and layer them to get the right shade for your furniture. The paint dries quickly (15 to 20 seconds, according to users) and doesn't just work on wood, making it an easy-to-carry, multi-use kit.
With the various shades priced so low, it's no surprise that these markers have an overall rating of 4.2 stars after over 9,000 Amazon reviews.
One reviewer said : "As an interior designer I can tell you that these are an essential part of owning wood furniture and they are better than my last set. Always useful to have around. I recommend it to all who own Recommend them for wood furniture people.”
3. The best wood stain touch-up pens
These Varathane Refinish Markers are filled with wood stain for long-lasting results - and they're available in a number of different shades, so you can just buy the one (or a few) that matches your furniture. Each marker has a precision felt tip to help spread stains evenly and get into those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies more easily.
Varathane stain should provide a rich, natural color that does not need to be mixed with other shades to match. If you know which stain was used on your furniture, just choose a marker of the same color. If you don't, use the convenient color group labels on the product packaging to choose the stain mark that best suits your furniture. If the color is still too light after drying, you can apply another coat to darken it.
Speaking of drying, it does take about 30 minutes to dry completely, which is a little longer than most ink pens. But many users find that the wait time is worth it because it is creating an actual protective layer of stain rather than just staining the wood. However, keep in mind that it won't work on any non-wood furniture, including laminates designed to look like wood.
According to one reviewer : "It covers scratches, a bit of a chipped knot, repair spots that I used wood filler and sanded, and the edges around the outside of the table. The color matches the walnut finish on the table really well. I also Used this pen to touch up a new chair I bought that my cats had scratched while playing with each other and some small spots on the back rail that didn't have the full color finish. ”
4. The Best Leather Furniture Refinish Markers
If you're refinishing leather, faux leather or even vinyl, these Mohawk EZ Flow markers are a must-have. They are specifically designed to treat leather, so they penetrate into the material to provide color correction without staining or rubbing off your clothes when you sit on your upholstered sofa.
The markers are sold individually in nine different classic leather shades, so you can find one that blends in with the existing color of your furniture. It should be very easy to use since the sponge head only distributes the dye when you push it onto the surface. As it dries, it penetrates into the leather like a dye rather than sitting on the surface.
One reviewer said : "This stuff works better than I thought it would. It's easy to use and the color matches our dark brown sofa really well. I've used two coats and couldn't be happier."
5. Best Choice for Painting Furniture
If you've painted your furniture, there's no better way to get the perfect color match than using the same paint as the rest of the furniture, and these refillable tip paint pens from Slobproof make touch-ups super easy. You can use the included syringe to remove some leftover paint from the can and fill the paint pen. Once filled, close the lid and the paint will stay fresh for up to seven years. Whenever a cabinet or chair gets stained or starts to fall apart, you can just grab a paint pen and touch up the damaged areas.
The set comes with five pens and five syringes, but if you don't need that many, Slobproof also sells a two-pack, as well as a set bundled with extras for drywall repairs like putty.
One reviewer said : "This is exactly what I wanted to fix the small dings and scratches on my newly painted kitchen cabinets. Easy to fill and very easy to use."
