The only way to completely remove a scratch in a piece of furniture is to sand the surrounding timber down to the same level as the scratch, but this can destroy the finish, patina and character of a piece of furniture and is hard, time-consuming work. So this is all about disguise.

You will need:

Wax filler stick

Coloured wood stain

White spirit

Beeswax

Duster or soft cloth

Fine brush

1) If you have a fairly deep scratch on a flat surface such as a table top, wax works best. Find a coloured wax filler stick roughly the same colour as your damaged surface. Liberon and Rustin's are good brands, but there are plenty available on the internet. If you can't get quite the colour you want, blend colours using the warmth of your hands to soften the wax.

2) Rub the stick across the scratch to fill it. Remove any excess wax by wiping with a cloth and white spirit. Apply beeswax lightly to the scratch and the surrounding area and buff with a duster.

3) If you want to repair a shallow scratch on an area that is less visible such as a chair leg then find a wood stain close in colour to your scratched surface. Again, blend colours if necessary to achieve the right tone.

4) Apply the stain to the scratch using a fine artist's brush. You can use watercolour or acrylic paint if you don’t want to buy wood stain, but be aware that the colour might look different when it dries.

5) Finally when your touch up is dry, apply beeswax gently to the scratch and the surrounding area and buff with a soft cloth. The scratch will still be there, but if you've matched your colours it won't jump out at you visually.

Fixing a dent

A fresh dent in wood can sometimes be lifted out entirely by steaming it with an iron. This fix is best for unfinished timber because steam will damage most finishes.

You will need:

Damp cloth

Iron

Place a thin, clean, damp cloth over the damaged area, and apply a hot iron for a few seconds. The steam will swell the crushed fibres, and might bring the dent right out – at the very least, it will make it less obvious.

• Amanda Girling-Budd is founder of The School of Stuff in east London: it runs year-long, one-day-a-week craft courses for career changers, five-day intensive courses, 12-week evening classes and one-off days and weekends.

You can find more of Emma McGowan's work on her website.

Interested in finding out more about how you can live better? Take a look at this month's Live Better challenge here.

The Live Better Challenge is funded by Unilever; its focus is sustainable living. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here.

