[BelieveInKarma]

I have a wood unit that I had a candle on top of the candle burned to the bottom and the heat from the glass of the container made a burn on the wood. Can I fix this? Or at least able to make the damage less intense? Attached is a picture. Help please!

[joypulv]

Sure. Get one sheet each of different grits of sandpaper, maybe 40, 100 and 180, and keep sanding away at it. Get the tiniest can of Minwax finish that matches the stain and apply two coats.

[BelieveInKarma]

Thanks! Will all this sanding create a "hole-like" appearance on the top??

[joypulv]

Yes, depending on how deep the burn is.
You can sand down the entire top with a belt sander to even it out, a lot of work.
You can fill the dent with wood filler, which never looks good.

I forgot to mention that if your wood is veneer, it might be so thin that none of this will apply; it will sand down to the layer below such as plywood or particle board. You would carve out a cigar shape around the burn, lift out the veneer or scrape it out, and glue in a matching piece of veneer, something that usually requires an experienced woodworker.

You can tell if the cabinet is veneer by looking at the edges. If you see no end grain, it's veneer. Veneer might meet at the edges or it might be a separate piece around the edge, with the grain running perpendicular to the top and sides. That's veneer.

[ma0641]

For surface burns, I use an old fashion single blade razor. Carefully scrape the burn area to lighter wood, use minwax or other stain and then make a small template of the hole and spray polyurethane through the hole. Probably can't fix completely but most likely close enough. If all else fails, strip the top completely and refinish. Looks like a mahogany surface. Is it full thickness wood or veneer? Unless you have a lot of experirnce with a belt sander, don't use it as you will most likely get gouges. A round orbital sander is better for this type of work.