How to Remove Water Stains From Wood

How to Remove Water Stains From Wood – You want to stain your wood table, but it’s ready to be used. Now the only thing— the only thing that could possibly ruin this wondrous event—is that one little tiny “ring” ring on the underside of the table right where you tried to stain it just ten minutes ago. This is a common occurrence, and I know from experience because I have been there too. So to prevent any further nervous breakdowns from other family members, or even yourself, read up on how to remove stains from wood.

If you’ve ever tried and given up trying to remove a stain from your wood furniture, this post will explain what you were doing wrong and how to prevent it in the future.

Organizing Your Materials

1. Work in a well-ventilated area. Stain strippers contain harsh chemicals that are dangerous to use in closed-off spaces. Work outside if possible. If you can’t work outside, work in a garage with the garage door open, or open all the windows in the room you’ll be working in. Set up a box fan near a window to help blow fumes out of the room.
2. Lay down a tarp under the area you’ll be working in. Stain stripper can damage the floor if it gets on it. If you don’t have a tarp, lay down newspaper or an old sheet instead.
3. Wear protective gear while you’re working with the stain stripper. Put on safety goggles and chemical-resistant gloves. Wear a long sleeve shirt, long pants, and closed-toe shoes. You don’t want any stain stripper getting on your skin.
   • Read the manufacturer’s instructions on your stain stripper for recommendations on which chemical-resistant gloves you should use. Then, visit your local hardware store or shop online for gloves made out of the recommended material.

Part 2: Applying the Stain Stripper

1. Fill up a metal container with stain stripper. You can find a stain stripper designed specifically for removing wood stain online or at your local hardware store. Use a disposable aluminum pan or a metal bowl to hold the stain stripper. Be careful as you’re pouring it so you don’t get any on your clothes or the floor.
2. Apply a thick layer of the stain stripper to the wood using a paintbrush. Dip the paintbrush in the container of stain stripper so it’s fully soaked. Then, carefully brush it across the surface of the wood you want to remove stain from until the entire surface is covered. Make sure the coat of stain stripper is even and thick.
   • If you’re working on a large piece of furniture, it may be easier to strip the stain off one part of the furniture first, as opposed to doing it all at once.
3. Let the stain stripper sit for 15-20 minutes and reapply as necessary. Check on the stain stripper every few minutes while you’re waiting for it to work. If you notice any spots that look dry, apply more stain stripper to those areas with the paint brush. It’s important that the stain stripper doesn’t dry out while you’re waiting for it to work.
   • Read the label on your stain stripper for specific timing instructions.
4. Use a plastic scraper to scrape off the stain stripper into a trash bin. Starting at the edge of the wood surface, gently push the scraper across the surface of the wood in a straight line. When you reach the other side of the wood, hold a trash bin under the edge so you can push the scraped-off stain stripper into it. Then, bring the scraper back to the edge you started at and repeat in a different spot. Continue until all the stain stripper has been scraped off the surface of the wood.
   • Avoid using a metal scraper with a sharp edge or you could damage the surface of the wood.
5. Dip a steel-wool pad in the stain stripper and wipe down the surface of the wood. Follow the direction of the grain as you’re bringing the steel wool back and forth over the surface of the wood. Make sure you go over any nooks and crannies in the wood with the steel wool.
6. Wipe down the surface of the wood with a rag and water. This will remove any leftover stain stripper on the wood. It’s important that you get off all the leftover residue or you could have a hard time sanding the wood later on.
7. Let the wood dry for 24 hours. The wood needs to be completely dry before you sand it. If you try to sand it early, the sandpaper will quickly get clogged with the wet wood.

Part 3: Sanding off the Stain

1. Sand the surface of the wood with a medium-grit sandpaper. Place the coarse side of the sandpaper face down on the surface of the wood and sand in a back and forth motion. Continue sanding until you’ve gone over the entire surface of the wood. As you sand, you should notice the color of the stain fading away as the raw wood beneath it is exposed.
   • Medium-grit sandpaper has a grit of 100-150.
2. Smooth the surface of the wood using a fine-grit sandpaper. Fine-grit sandpaper will get rid of any scratches caused by the medium-grit sandpaper you used. Go over the surface of the wood with the sandpaper using a back and forth motion until you’ve sanded the whole surface.
   • Fine grit sandpaper has a grit of 180-220.
3. Use a random orbital spinner to sand off hard-to-remove wood stain. A random orbital spinner is an electronic sanding device that is more effective at removing layers of stained wood than regular sanding. Load the device with a sheet of medium-grit sandpaper designed specifically for use in a random orbital spinner. Then, plug the device in and bring the spinning sheet of sandpaper across the surface of the wood. As you sand the wood with the random orbital spinner, you should see the wood stain start to fade away.
   • You can get a random orbital spinner online or at your local hardware store.

How to remove different wood stains

Before you try any of these hacks, remove as much of the stain causing culprit as possible (in other words, wipe up any remaining pasta sauce etc.) and give the table a quick clean.

Once you’ve completed your chosen stain-busting hack, make sure you get all of the cleaner off the wood. You might want to finish up by buffing the wood to bring the shine back, or giving it a good wipe down with some furniture polish.

1. How to remove water stains from wood with salt Water (or other liquid) can leave a white stain on wood. To get rid of it, make a paste with salt and water. Add the water a couple of drops at a time. You only want enough to bind the salt together. Rub the paste into the stain and wipe it off.
2. How to remove water stains from wood with petroleum jelly Vaseline isn’t just handy for soothing chapped lips you know. Try dabbing it onto the water stain. Leave it overnight and then wipe it off.
3. How to remove water stains from wood with mayonnaise One of the stranger methods for removing water marks involves mayonnaise. Yep, that tasty condiment more likely to be found on your takeaway chips. Just dab it on, leave it for a few hours and then wipe it off. The high oil content helps to clean the wood.Mayonnaise can turn rancid pretty quickly. So don’t try this on a hot day!
4. How to remove heat marks with bicarb Forgot to use a coaster? Don’t panic. Make a paste by adding a small amount of water to bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). Add only as much water as it takes to bind the powder together, otherwise you risk making the water stain worse. Rub the paste into the wood and then wipe it off.
5. How to remove heat marks with toothpaste Mix together equal parts of a non-gel toothpaste and bicarbonate of soda. Rub it into the stain with a cloth. Remove it with a clean, damp cloth and dry well. (Use a hairdryer on a low heat if needs be.)
6. How to remove sticky marks from wood Sticky residue can be a right pain. Luckily, it’s easy enough to remove with vegetable oil. Rub it into the glue and leave it for a couple of hours. Then just wipe it off with soapy water (this works best on varnished wood, as the oil could stain untreated wood). Don’t have any vegetable oil to hand? We have lots of other hacks for removing glue and sticky residue from wood here.
7. How to remove stains from wood with white vinegar and bicarb This method can work well on pasta sauce, dye and other stains. Before you start, try just washing the area with a damp cloth and dollop of washing up liquid, as that might be all you need to remove the stain. If that doesn’t work, add a few drops of white vinegar to baking soda. You’re aiming for a toothpaste-like consistency. Rub it into the stain and then wipe it off with a clean, damp cloth. Dry the area well afterwards.
8. How to remove dark stains with bleach Dark patches are usually old liquid stains. They’re tricky to get rid of, but you can try using bleach. A specialist wood bleach is the best option. If you can’t find one, look for Oxalic Acid. Or just try a multi-purpose bleach spray like Domestos. As always, do test an inconspicuous area first, and protect your hands with rubber gloves. Spray or dab the bleach onto the stain. Leave it for half an hour to work its magic, before wiping it off with a damp cloth. You might need to repeat this method a few times for best results.
9. How to remove really stubborn stains If the above hacks haven’t helped, the stain may be too deep. It’s time to get the sandpaper out. Lightly sand the stain and surrounding area. You may need to sand down the whole surface to keep the colour even.Use a fine sandpaper to avoid scratching the wood and don’t rub too hard.
10. How to remove pen marks from wood First off, try wiping the mark with a damp cloth and washing up liquid. (Children’s colouring pens are often washable.)If the stain won’t budge, you’ll need isopropyl alcohol. Rub it into the stain with an old, clean cloth (wearing gloves to protect your hands). When the stain has gone, wash the area with a damp, soapy cloth and dry it thoroughly.

Conclusion

Stains are inevitable. And they are equally inevitable that most stains will be very hard to remove. That seems counterintuitive, but it’s true. However, it doesn’t mean that stains can’t be removed. It just means that you need to do some extra work.