How do i fix wood color without removing all of it?

Question

accidentally spilled nail polish on a dark wood tray and stupidly tried using nailpolish remover to get it out. this changed the color of the wood. i do not know what to use to change the color back. is there something specific i shold do? i do NOT want to take off all of the color. i just want to fix the small spot that faded and add the color back.

Answer 1

You removed the "toner" -- the finish that contains the color.  You can get touch up markers that contain lacquer (NOT Minwax!! it's simply stain in a tube!) and aerosol lacquer.   Pick a color that's closest to your target color, pump some out on a piece of glass or old dish, spray on the lacquer to thin it out.  Using an artist's brush, very lightly loaded, alternately brush in a layer of color, a spritz of aerosol, let it dry, and repeat.  Go slow and sneak up on it.

Answer 2

Take the tray with you to a home improvement store, such as Home Depot. Find a stain that matches. Most stores have a small crayon type stain that fixes small boo-boos. Then you will have to seal it to match the finish already there.