Steamboat Pilot & Today

That favorite wooden chair or table you have doesn't need to go in the dumpster just because it has a crack, a dent or a broken leg.

We've all experienced a good piece of furniture that has experienced damage. But don't fret it can be repaired.

Pete Owen, co-owner of Black Dog Woodworks and Design, said many times people have problems with wood splitting in a dry climate.

His first tip: Have furniture built in the area where you'll be living. For instance, don't have an expensive and large wood entertainment center built in the humidity of Florida when you're moving to Colorado.

To repair ugly cracks that don't seem to mend in dry climates, Owen said there's not much you can do except find some wood fillers or rely on the good ol' super glue method.

Similar to a Magic Marker, Owen recommended furniture pens that you can buy to match the stain of your wood. You cover the scratch with the marker and apply wax over it.

"When people drop stuff on their furniture, to get the ding out you can take a wet cloth on the divot and steam it out," Owen said. "I've just put an iron on top of the wet cloth and the steam will raise the grain of wood."

Once the wood has risen, you'll need to strip and sand it.

Don't try this at home

Michael Schliske, co-owner of Steamboat Woodworks, said using a lemon-oil to wet down a piece of wood to create a refinished look may be possible for those do-it-yourself types, but warned against repairing furniture yourself.

"When amateurs try to do repairs, they tend to use the wrong kinds of glue or something else," Schliske said.

Schliske said it gets pretty ugly when people have tried to fix things themselves hammering nails into wood that ends up splitting.

"We've seen people do all kinds of things wrong. It takes a lot of specialized tools if they just took to us from the beginning," Schliske said.

Compiled by Kelly Silva