Identification

• Stains can blemish your furniture and make it unsightly.
  
  Wood can become blemished in any number of ways, though the most common way to stain or blemish furniture is to spill something on the wooden piece. Untreated wooden furniture is even easier to blemish because it does not have a protective clear coat to keep spills from penetrating the wood.
  Some wood is naturally blemished. Some examples of this include wood that has marks on it from sap, wood that has dents or ridges and does not have a smooth surface and wood that is discolored.
  
  

Function

• Blemished furniture is usually sold at discount prices.
  
  Blemished wood furniture will still function in the same way. The blemish does not hinder the way it is used, unless the piece has a huge dent or a very uneven surface. This can cause problems, especially if the piece is being used as a coffee table or something comparable.
  Blemishes to wood add a unique feature, as opposed to perfect wooden furniture that looks manufactured. Blemished wood can add character to a rustic type of decor and is perfect for American Country decorating.
  
  

Benefits

• Blemished wood furniture can often be purchased at a cheaper price than regular wood furniture. Oftentimes if a piece is blemished, it is considered irregular or imperfect and the furniture store feels that they will not be able to sell it.
  Pieces such as tables, chairs and headboards sometimes have very fine scratches on them that can be easily buffed out and refinished. There are products available on the market that make fixing small scratches easy. One of the products available is a marker that will fill in the unsightly scratch so that no one will notice it. Match the correct color of marker to the finish that is on your furniture. If you buy one that is too light or too dark, it will be visible and defeat the purpose of filling it in.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Some people think that blemished wood looks bad. This can hold true in many cases where the wood has had something spilled on it and has become damaged. It's best to fix these sorts of blemishes as soon as possible because they can be unsightly.
  However, naturally blemished wood can be beautiful because it's unique. Natural discolorations can enhance the look of the wood and set it apart from similar pieces made of unblemished wood.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• The best way to avoid blemished wood furniture is to protect your wooden furniture pieces with a veneer. You can also hide unsightly wood discolorations or other blemishes by staining the wood. This will darken it and typically cover any blemishes that might be highly visible.
  If the wood is blemished because of a spill or stain, identify what spilled on the furniture and do your research on how to remove it. Different types of stains require different removal methods.