Seeing condensation bead up and begin to drip down a glass is a horrific sight to anyone who proudly calls themselves an owner of a wood table. The situation is made worse when no coasters are in reach to prevent the water from penetrating the wood.
It may sound a little anal, but it’s true. Water wreaks havoc on wood. It is its own form of kryptonite. If you have noticed stains on your own wood furniture, but feel it’s too late and that your table is ruined, fear not. As Danny Walker, owner of the Grass Valley, California branch of Furniture Medic explains, in many cases, such stains can be removed from your wood furnishings.
The technicians at the popular furniture repair and restoration company have mastered the technique and share some of their knowledge with anyone looking to clean up their furnishings before their next gathering. One key piece of information you need to know before you begin the stain removal, however, is whether the stain is on the surface of the table, or if it has had the opportunity to seep beneath the finish and into the wood. The quickest way to tell which type of stain you are up against is to look at the color. If the stain is white, then you’re in luck since it is only on the surface of your furniture. If the stain is black, though, it means that it has broken through to the wood. But, it can still be taken care of.
Surface Stains: To get rid of white stains, use a thin pad of steel wool and douse it with lemon oil until the pad is drenched. Then, gently rub out the stain until it disappears. Lemon oil works great because while it’s tough enough to use as a stain remover, it won’t damage the actual finish and stain of the wood. Stay away from cleaners that contain ammonia, warns Walker, because this will strip the wood badly and eat away at the finish, leaving you with a bigger problem than you initially started with.
Penetrated Stains: Unfortunately, with stains that have turned black, no amount of scrubbing will get rid of it. What you need to do is remove the finish, clean the stain and apply a new finish. If you have a particularly delicate piece of furniture, you may be better off having the process handled by a professional so that you don’t decrease the value of the piece.
If you decide to keep on attempting to remove the stain yourself, then you will need to remove the finish in the area where the black mark resides. This can be done by sanding off the finish or using a wood stripper that can be found at hardware stores. Once the stain is removed, dilute regular-strength bleach with water, and using a paint brush apply the bleach to the stain. Wait a few hours and then reapply it to the stain. After it has dried and you notice that the stain is gone, you can apply a new finish to the spot.
If you notice that the black mark is still there, then you may need to have the wood bleached using professional-strength bleach. Walker recommends that if it comes to this stage, you’re safest option is to hire a professional. The bleach that specialists use is 100 times stronger than household bleach, he adds, so masks and gloves are definitely needed. If used improperly, the bleach could be harmful.
Additionally, if you have stains on your wood furniture and you aren’t confident that you can properly remove them yourself, consider calling a furniture medic or a repair and restoration company in your area. Within no time, they can remove tough stains and apply a new finish so that your furniture emits a like-new gleam.
