Removal of mortor stains on oak flooring
Does any one know how to remove mortor stains from a unfinished new White Oak floor?
I have heard that ocsalick (sp) acid can remove stains from wood but i do not know if it will work on motor stains and with white oak.
I know that the floor should have been covered, first time for every thing,
happens and it did on this one.
Thanks for your help.
Replies
The stain is caused by a chemical reaction between the alkali in the mortar and the tannic acid in the oak -- it's not just a discoloration.
Oxalic acid will work but the problem with that [aside from its toxicity] is that you can end up with light patches where the stains were which are almost as noticeable.
Before trying bleaching I'd try a rotary orbital sander with about a 200 grit and see if they'll sand off.
IanDG
If oxalic acid will remove it you might be able to stain it to match the raw wood and then apply whatever finish you think would work. I would try staining a sample of WO the same way and see how that works.
Ian's method or using a scraper might also do the trick...but I would try on a sample first.