How To Fix Scratched Kitchen Cabinets? 3 Effective & Easiest Steps

Scratched kitchen cabinets are easy to fix. People get frustrated after seeing the scratches, but don’t worry, they are easy to fix.

The size or the deepness of the scratches will determine how quickly your problem will get solved.

To fix scratched kitchen cabinets, first, take a cloth, apply some cleaner to it and clean the surface properly. Now, take the exact match color, a small brush, and apply it gently on the scratched surface. After that, rub the surface with a cloth and check if it is blended. If not, then repeat the process again.

But, there are different types of kitchen cabinet materials available in the market, like wood, stainless steel, laminate, etc., so the fixing process will also be different.

Now depending upon your material, you can check the required fixation process below.

Let’s begin…   

How To Fix Scratched Wooden Kitchen Cabinets?

Wooden kitchen cabinets are the easiest to be fixed among the three. But, they are also prone to get scratches.

Now, depending on the size of the scratches, let’s discuss the process to solve them.

Materials Required

1. Dye Toner
2. Touch Up Pen or Repair Pen
3. Cloth
4. Any Cleaner
5. Paint (if toner not available)
6. Walnut (if tiny scratches)
7. Wood Filler and Sandpaper (180 grit) (for deep scratches)

Procedure (For Tiny Scratches)

Step 1: The Walnut Method

If your cabinet’s scratches are tiny or very light, then you can try the walnut method. 

It is a very effective method, simply rub the walnut in the affected areas and then clean it with a cloth. Trust me; it will repair all your scratches. 

But this method will only work on brown shade cabinets. It is not for white or light color shades.

Step 2: Touch Up Pen Method

If you are not satisfied with the first method or scratches are a bit dark or large, then you can try this method.

First, clean the areas with a cleaner and rub them with a cloth to dry. Now, take the touch-up pen or crayons and gently cover the scratched areas.

After that, gently rub it with a cloth and apply the pen again. Now, check the color is blended or not. If not, then apply the dye toner and again rub it with a cloth. This time the scratches should be perfectly fixed; if not, repeat the process again.

In most cases, the scratches get fixed with this method. If your damaged areas are still visible or not perfectly blended, then you can try the third step.

Step 3: Brush and Paint Method

If your job is not done with the above steps, you can try this method to solve your problem.

As usual, start by cleaning the surface with a cleaner and rub it with a cloth to dry. 

Now with the help of a small brush, coat some paint on the scratches and immediately rub it with a cloth. Repeat this process until you get a perfect blend. Usually, after two times, it gets perfectly mixed, and it’s tough to identify the scratches.

Your kitchen cabinets are now fixed. What if the scratches are deep? Let’s check it out.

Procedure (For Deep Scratches)

Step 1: Cleaning The Surface

The damaged surface areas should be cleaned with some cleaner and then rub them with a cloth to dry.

Step 2: Applying The Wood Filler

Apply the wood filler properly on the deep scratches and let it dry. You can also take the help of a putty knife to apply the wood filler.

Step 3: Applying The Paint

After drying, lightly sand the areas with 180 grit sandpaper. Clean the areas again for any remaining debris. 

With the help of a small brush, paint the areas with a matching color and then rub the paint smoothly with a cloth. It will help to blend the color correctly, and your deep scratches will be gone.

If it is not blended, you can repeat the painting and the rubbing part to get a perfect blend. 

How To Fix Scratched Laminate Kitchen Cabinets?

Fixing wooden or laminate kitchen cabinets are almost the same. 

You can follow the exact steps that I have mentioned above to fix your scratches or follow the below method to make your work even more accessible. 

There is a kit by Nadamoo where you will get 18 shades of color, sandpapers, wood putty, brush, spatula, mixing jar, etc., which will help you fix scratches on any furniture, cabinets, or even floor.

Now, I will use this kit to fix the scratched cabinets.

Materials Required

1. NADAMOO Floor and Furniture Repair Kit
2. Cloth

Procedure

Step 1: First, with the help of the scraper or spatula, scrape the scratched area properly.

Step 2: Now, clean the area with a cloth to remove any debris, and then use the wood putty to fill the hole. Press firmly, smooth it and let it dry.

Step 3: After drying, use the sandpaper for sanding the repaired area to make it smooth.

Step 4: Now, apply the wood repair compound to the damaged area, smooth it, and let it dry.

Step 5: Again, use another color repair compound to draw other wood grain to blend it properly. Also, rub the area lightly with a cloth to remove unwanted color.

Step 6: If you achieve your desired color, you are done; if not, you can try another color compound to fix your kitchen cabinet scratches.  

How To Fix Scratched Stainless Steel Kitchen Cabinets?

The stainless steel scratches required some work to fix if they are light or tiny, but it’s a little tough to make it like the original if they are deep.

I will discuss here the method to remove the tiny or slight deep scratches from your stainless steel kitchen cabinets.

So, let’s begin…

Materials Required

1. Scotch Brite Pads (from lighter to coarser grit)
2. Cloth
3. Glass Cleaner or any cleaner

Procedure

Step 1: Every stainless steel has grains means they are moving in one specific direction. First, observe it closely to find the direction of the grain and clean the area with the glass cleaner.

Step 2: Now, take the maroon scotch pad (coarser one) and aggressively grit along the direction of the grain. You can fix the pad to a wooden block to make it comfortable.

Step 3: After rubbing it for some time, you will notice the scratches are now getting lighter. Now, take the grey scotch pad (medium coarser) and grit it again in the same direction.

Step 4: Finally, take the lighter one, i.e., the white scotch pad and grit along the grain direction and spray some glass cleaner, and rub the area with a cloth to get a perfect finish.

If you don’t want to use Scotch Brite, then you can use this kit by Rejuvenate to complete your work. 

It requires little work to get the job done, but it is worth it. 

Kitchen Cabinet Scratch Repair Kit

There are many kits available in the market, but I like to use this kit by NADAMOO. It is a complete kit where you will get 18 different shades of color, brush, scraper, wood putty, etc.

It’s like a one-time investment, and you can repair different types of furniture, cabinets, or even the floor. The kit is readily available on Amazon, and it’s very cheap, like below 25 bucks.  

FAQ’s

Also Read

1. How To Repair Chipped Paint On Kitchen Cabinets?
2. 3 Effective Ways To Update Old Kitchen Cabinets
3. Why Are Kitchen Cabinets So Expensive?
4. Does Flooring Go Under Kitchen Cabinets?

Final Words

You have seen how easy it is to fix scratched kitchen cabinets. You have to follow some basic steps like clean the area first, touch up with the pen, clean the area, and finally, you are done.

Always try to prevent it from getting scratches, but if it happens, then you have to repair it. Remember to try the walnut method, which is very effective as well as cheapest.

If you like the methods, then please share them with your friends and family. Also, you can share your experience of repairing or refacing your kitchen cabinets.