I have a wood countertop w/ dark water stain damage, I'm looking for ways to fix.
I tried sanding and it just made the area around the stain lighter.
Best Answer
You'll either need to sand or scrape until you get to unstained wood, or try a bleaching product (oxalic acid is a common "wood bleach") to alter the color of the stained wood without removing it.
This will be a temporary fix, a surface treatment that will have to be renewed periodically. If you get a mix working (keep track of your formula), you can bottle it for refreshing the color as needed.
I'd suggest 1 OZ of denatured alcohol and 4-6 drops of a Transtint color to start. Mixing is straight forward and color blend is the true genius of this system.
PS wear latex or nitrile gloves..
Oxalic acid, either in crystal form or as part of a pressure treated deck cleaner/brightner will chemically dissolve the stain. If you use the crystals, use all normal precautions for acids (eye, hand, clothing). You can sparingly apply with a small nylon artists brush. Try 5 min increments (5 on, wipe off, 10 on, wipe off) until the stain starts to disappear.
Once stain disappears, neutralize wood with borax diluted in water or bicarbonate of soda in water.
Replace color with dyes or pigment stains. I like Transtint for its ability to be blended and mixed with either water or alcohol. If you don't like the color direction, you can use bleach and start over.
Once happy with the color, seal it in with a dewaxed shellac. Then top coat with your favorite polyurethane. You may be able to blend the areas by shooting spray poly through a circular mask (5" hole in a 12x12 piece of cardboard, held 5-10 inches away from the floor) which will give you a graduated spray. Practice first.
Best Answer
You'll either need to sand or scrape until you get to unstained wood, or try a bleaching product (oxalic acid is a common "wood bleach") to alter the color of the stained wood without removing it.