Introduction: How to Remove a Dent From Wood

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After moving some furniture, I inevitably damaged some of it by dropping a heavy tool on it. I'm going to show you the technique I used to fix it and remove the dent without using wood filler.

This technique works great for wood floors and dining room tables, too.

I did this at TechShop.

Step 1: What You'll Need

The trick is pretty simple. We're going to use an iron to steam the dent out of the wood.

You'll need the following:
  • An iron
  • Paper towel. I used a shop towel but an old t-shirt or rag will work, too
  • Water

Step 2: Steam the Wood

Put a dab of water on the affected area. Not too much. Just enough to cover the dent(s).

Cover it with your paper towel/rag. At this point, the water will wick through the material. That's fine.

Now, with your iron on its highest setting, hold it over the affected area and make small movements back and forth and in circles. Press down firmly and continue until your paper towel is dry. It won't take long to evaporate.

At this point, the wood fibers are absorbing the water and should expand back to where they were originally.

Continue this process and repeat by adding more water until the dents rise up to be flush with the rest of the material.

Step 3: Sand Smooth

At this point, the area around your dents should be pretty smooth. However, depending on the damage, you may still see an outline from where it was.

Use some sandpaper to go over the area lightly. It won't take much and you'll be able to get your piece back to looking like nothing ever happened to it!