Furniture touch-up, not refinish

Do you have a piece of wood furniture or two that's got a few dings? Not quite enough to warrant the effort of stripping, puttying, sanding, and refinishing? Been there, done that. Well, there's an elegant solution that you can DIY in just a few moments (say, right before the company arrives)!

This little bit of touch-up magic comes in the form of a marker; it looks kind of like a magic marker and you can pick them up at most home improvement centers. I know, it sounds lame, but it really does work. The brand I'm familiar with is Mohawk, which is a company under the same corporate umbrella where RustOleum resides. That says quality to me.

The real trick is in matching the shade. I learned how to do this when I worked for a major hotel chain where guests seem to get a sardonic pleasure in abusing furniture the way they would never do at home. Anyhow, they only come in a certain number of shades. Here's the trick: swipe with a shade slightly darker than your finish and quickly wipe with a cloth. After wiping it'll be lighter than the marker says.

Repeat with the swipe 'n wipe until you've got a match. Each swipe will get you closer. Using the chisel edge of the marker, you can even match grain patterns with practice.