Flooring contractor came in today to refinish the old white oak floor in the kitchen which was hidden under two layers of vinyl. The floor is badly stained in a few areas from water or wear and it didn’t come out when sanded.
Will something like bleach remove the stain, or will I just have to call it “patina”?
Replies
go to the drug store and get a bottle of Oxalic Acid - mix into a paste (the OA is a powder) and work on the stains with a tooth brush or some such tool - if the stains are from a base reaction, the acid will make them disappear -
It works, Lowes did sell it in a tub. I had a table from a church that had a flower pot leak on it over time. I tried to sand it out to no avail. Ox acid cleaned that sucker right out.
The 'stain' is a chemical dye created when the tannins in the oak react with the iron in water.
If the water has soaked down into the oak it is near impossible to remove.
I am not familiar with bleaching.
Have you thought about replacing the bad boards?
"Perfect is the enemy of Good." Morrison
You can bleach it easily. However it removes the natural color too. That's how we used to make blonde white oak. So, you'll have to bleach the whole floor to make it all look the same. Then if you don't like blonde you can restain it to whatever tint you like. Watco Danish Oil.
When you bleach it and it is dry, it will be fuzzy so you'll screen it and by screening you may cut too deep and have to rebleach and rescreen but with some diligence you can make a beautiful floor.
Heads up!
This solution will not work with cat pee stains, those boards are coming out.
skipj
I think the stains are from either ground in dirt (maybe the refinisher didn't sand deeply enough, or from water. I'm sure it's not cat pee.Will oxalic acid cause problems with blending, like was mentioned about bleaching, or does it just remove the stain?
"Will oxalic acid cause problems with blending, like was mentioned about bleaching, or does it just remove the stain?"just removes the stain - first time I used it (on an oak floor) I followed the recommendations to 'neutralize' it - with baking soda - that was a mistake - effectively restained the floor - but another treatment of acid disappeared the stain - (I caught the base effect right away, and retreated before anyone else noticed - a glory day, I was hailed as a genius - this was staining caused by tile work, where the tile guys had slopped grout all over a new oak floor) will not work of every stain, but where it does, it's like magic - "there's enough for everyone"
Problem averted! Contractor showed up this AM with an armload of replacement boards.Thanks for the suggestions though. More ideas for me to put in my Idea Book. The Breaktime section is pretty full. Thanks all.
I'll put in another vote for oxalic acid, like David said, but you don't need to go to the drug store. HD and others sell it under the Behr name, something like 'Deck Bright'. Read the ingredients and look for oxalic acid. It works well. I like it stronger than the recommended dilution, but be sure to wear gloves, your skin will thank you.
- Squirt solution with a spray bottle.
- Scrub with plastic brush or abrasive pad until it's full of pulp.
- Rinse with another spray bottle or hose.
- Vacuum or wipe.
- Let dry.
- Finish.
Scott.
Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”
Second the oxalic acid, with one suggestion...
Then neutralize the acid bleach by wiping the wood surface with diluted ammonia (1:1 with water) or baking soda solution (one scoop to a quart of water it's not important to be precise) using a clean sponge. If you don’t neutralize the bleach, it can lighten stain you apply later.