How To Repair Water Damaged Wood Dresser

Posted Baronial 18, 2022

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Piece of work miracles on woods with oxalic acrid.

Watering a potted found can be disastrous if the institute lives on top of something made out of wood. We've all seen the white spots and blackness rings that can result when water seeps through the pot. And if you've always tried to sand out these marks, you know it'due south a tough chore that can leave telltale depressions on the surface. Fortunately, in many cases, this type of damage tin can be almost magically undone by treating the wood'south surface with oxalic acid.

Oxalic acid removes the grey color from oxidized wood, without changing the wood'southward natural colour. That's why it'south ordinarily used as the active ingredient in deck cleaners, and why restorers use it to remove greyness or black water stains on article of furniture (see "Oxalic Acid Undoes Rust," below). Oxalic acid is also used in some household cleaning products for removing hard h2o stains, and it has many industrial uses every bit well. Although it is found every bit a natural ingredient in some vegetables (spinach and rhubarb), oxalic acid is quite toxic if ingested in concentrated form.

Identify the stains

Every end repair job is unique, of course, and then the starting time step is to thoroughly examine the problem. The chest hat shown hither has both whitish marks (also called blushing or flower), and dark gray and black discolorations. White marks are usually in the finish; dark discolorations from water indicate more significant damage, because they're down in the wood.

To help codify a programme to repair this finish, I dampened the entire lid with mineral spirits [Amazon] (paint thinner). This testing method is useful anytime you lot desire to look closely at either onetime dry finish or blank wood. The look of the pigment thinner-dampened surface is similar to how it would look if shellac or a clear oil based finish were practical. In this case, dampening the surface makes the whitish marks temporarily disappear (they reappear when the mineral spirits evaporates). That means a coat or two of finish is all that's needed to take care of the white marks. (This is a stroke of luck; if the white marks hadn't disappeared, additional repair steps would be necessary to remove them, and that's a topic for another story.)

Now I tin focus on the black rings. The mineral spirits test shows that they go darker, and that makes them good candidates for handling with oxalic acid. If the oxalic acid works, I won't take to aggressively sand the entire lid. Not but would sanding remove the remaining intact finish (80%, in this case), it would also lighten the lid's anile crimson color, so it would no longer match the rest of the chest that it belongs to.

Treat the stains

1. Kickoff past thoroughly cleaning the surface. First, wipe it downward with mineral spirits, to remove polish and other crud that's greasy or waxy. Mineral spirits also shows what the damaged areas will look like with a articulate finish applied.

Every step of this handling should be done consistently to the entire surface, not just the damaged area. The process involves flooding the surface with h2o. Fortunately, the harm shown here is on solid woods—using this handling on a veneered surface can exist risky.

ii. When the mineral spirits has evaporated, complete the cleaning process by wiping the surface with soap and water, using a soft cloth, to remove water-soluble residue. Let the surface to dry completely.

The first step is a thorough cleaning, using two different cleaners. Mineral spirits removes greasy residue, such every bit old wax or smoothen (Photo i). Mild dish lather and h2o removes whatever water-soluble grime (Photograph ii). Neither of these processes will damage an intact finish.

3. Sand lightly, using fine paper, a soft block and very piddling pressure. Although the goal is to remove the raised grain from the damaged area, information technology's important to sand the entire surface to maintain consistency.

The grain is raised very slightly in the h2o-damaged area, so a little sanding with 400 grit newspaper is necessary (Photo 3). This step should take about ane minute.

4. Mix a saturated solution of oxalic acrid in a non-metal container. Add a spoonful at a time to the water and stir, until a layer of non-dissolved oxalic acrid remains at the bottom.

Mix upwardly a saturated solution of oxalic acrid [Amazon] by adding the crystals to a jar of warm water with a plastic spoon (Photograph four). Do not use any metal containers or utensils—the acid could react with the metal. Add crystals a spoonful at a time and stir until no more than will dissolve into the h2o. I always apply a saturated solution, so that I take a maximum-strength problem solver.

5. Wipe on the oxalic acid solution. Leave it on the surface for almost five minutes to accomplish the maximum effect. Then wipe off the excess and let the surface dry out thoroughly. The upshot can be almost instantaneous.

Wearing gloves and eye protection, use a rag or sponge to saturate the unabridged surface existence treated, not just the dark spots (Photo five). Keep the surface moisture for most v minutes to allow for the maximum upshot. Then wipe off the excess and let the surface dry completely. You may see the event immediately every bit you apply the acid, or the spots may disappear gradually, as the acid dries. If a second application of acid is necessary, await to employ information technology until the starting time application has thoroughly stale, or it won't piece of work. If two or three applications do non remove the stain completely, more acrid is non likely to assist. Y'all'll take to live with the remaining discoloration or resort to sanding to remove information technology. However, do not sand until you have thoroughly rinsed the surface—animate dust that contains oxalic acid is extremely unpleasant and potentially chancy.

half-dozen. Flood the surface with water repeatedly, to remove any remaining oxalic acid crystals.

When you've completed the oxalic applications, it'due south imperative to thoroughly rinse the treated surface with lots of clean water, to flush away any acrid that remains on the wood (Photo 6). Flood the surface several times and dry out it with a clean material or newspaper towel each fourth dimension. Let the surface dry betwixt each flooding.

Attempting to "neutralize" the acid that remains on the surface with a mild alkali such as baking soda, borax or ammonia is a cleansing option that is frequently mentioned as an alternative to rinsing. Even so, I have never seen whatsoever accurate formulas that would make this chemical balancing act a practical possibility. Likewise, I know that thorough rinsing works.

Dampen the sur- face with mineral spirits to exam the results. Here, the whitish blush areas virtually disappear and the black marks are 99.9% gone. The repair is complete; information technology's fourth dimension to rebuild the finish.

After the lid has thoroughly dried, don a respirator and lightly sand the unabridged surface with 400 grit paper, to cut dorsum any grain raised past the oxalic treatments. Exam the surface again with mineral spirits, to gauge the results (Photo seven). The test on this lid indicates that the surface is ready for finishing (Photo 8).

In this case, the finish is blonde shellac, the same finish as the original. Calculation a waterproof finish over the shellac could aid to prevent future damage. Moving the plant may be a improve option.

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