How to Remove Water Stains From Wood Furniture

How to Remove H2o Rings From Wood Tables

Y'all may exist surprised past some of these ideas for removing cloudy white water marks from wood surfaces

Bonnie McCarthy

Fifty-fifty the virtually wonderful guests tin sometimes exist clueless about using coasters beneath a drinking glass. This commonly results in the dreaded ring marks and other stains on wooden tabletops. With the entertaining season in full swing, hither are a few ideas to help make sure the simply things left behind afterwards a swell party are the memories.

The water marks left by glasses or other damp or wet materials are caused when wooden surfaces absorb the wet. There are 2 types of rings, or marks, that can occur: white rings and black ones.

"What nosotros're looking at when we see a white mark — sometimes information technology's a white ring, sometimes it's a cloudiness — is moisture that'south trapped in the finish. That's the sign of a weak finish," says Bruce Johnson, a woods finishing expert, spokesman for Minwax and author of the book The Forest Finisher. The ring indicates that the finish is wearing out and not keeping out moisture properly, he writes on the Minwax website. In this example, the moisture has not yet reached the forest itself just has settled into the layer of stop. The proficient news: If you act speedily, there is promise.

Hot Air

1 of the best treatments for water marks that have recently occurred is too one of the simplest: a pilus dryer. Johnson suggests setting a hair dryer on warm or low and moving it back and forth direct over the marking. In most cases, the action should depict out the moisture, dry the surface and cause the ring to evaporate.

Be aware that the fix will besides oestrus up the wax cease on the wood and melt it slightly. Endeavor buffing with a soft rag in one case the h2o marker evaporates.

What not to practise: "A lot of times people will catch the piece of furniture polish or wax and cascade that on the white mark," Johnson says. "Well, all that does is prevent the moisture from escaping on its own." He says to just go out it lone. Try moving the piece to a dry area of your home and prepare upward a fan to blow over the expanse or use a accident dryer on a low setting to release the moisture back into the air.

Toothpaste, Mayonnaise or Baking Soda

Timothy Dahl, domicile comeback skillful, DIY enthusiast and editor of the website Charles & Hudson, says he'south had success removing water marks and rings with some absolutely dubious techniques. He experimented on a table of his own using three different removal methods: toothpaste, mayonnaise and baking soda. "They might seem a bit far-fetched," he says, "merely we were pleasantly surprised."

Although he successfully removed water marks from the tabletop with each technique, Dahl says a big function of whether a stain will come out depends on how long it has been immune to soak into the forest. "There is a betoken of no return," he says. "It depends on how long the moisture has been locked in there and how long information technology has stale." The white h2o rings he worked on with the following methods were several months old.

Toothpaste. Dahl put a bones white toothpaste (not a gel) on a make clean, dry cloth and dabbed it directly on the stain. He says the success of this method tin can be chalked up to abrasion, non h2o extraction. Dahl allowed the toothpaste to sit down for a few minutes, and then gently rubbed the toothpaste forth the line of the stain. He said he began to encounter results immediately.

What not to do: Dahl warns confronting scrubbing likewise difficult or too far exterior of the stain, which could potentially inflict additional damage by wearing away the finish. In addition, avoid using gel toothpastes and brands with bleaching agents. For his own experiment, Dahl used Sensodyne. In other words, keep it simple.

Mayonnaise. Spread mayonnaise directly on the water mark and let it sit. Dahl left the mayo sitting for nigh iii hours, and says some folks recommend leaving information technology to piece of work on the stain overnight. After the waiting period, simply wipe away the spread. "We didn't do any scrubbing as nosotros had washed with the toothpaste," he says.

Baking soda and water. Finally, Dahl mixed a solution of blistering soda and water using a 2-to-i ratio in a small bowl, then used a soft, clean material to gently scrub the water mark with information technology. Although information technology lightened the stain, Dahl says the results were non equally dramatic as with the toothpaste. Still, for a recently created white water mark, it might be worth a try.

Superfine Steel Wool

For white rings that don't answer to a hair dryer, Johnson says his next footstep is using a superfine iv/0 steel wool. He advises pouring a finishing product such as Minwax Antiquarian Oil directly on the stain, so using the superfine 4/0 steel wool to lightly abrade the surface, rubbing in the management of the grain. (Howard Restor-A-Terminate or Beaumont Paste Wax are other products that tin be used.) So apply a towel to wipe the terminate off. When yous are washed, use the finishing production once again and wipe the entire surface of the table to polish information technology.

"Finally, once you're done with the oil, wipe off the oil and put on a clear finish so it won't happen over again," Johnson says.

Dark Rings and Water Marks

Night water stains on a wood surface hateful the water has soaked through the top layer of the finish and been absorbed into the woods. These stains are as well deeply ingrained to be removed with surface techniques, and the piece may demand to exist refinished. "When it gets into the wood, information technology will have to be stripped," says Jose Arroyo, wood refinisher and owner of A&A Restoration in Long Embankment, California.

Approach says the best way to deal with water stains is to avert them altogether. To prevent stains, he suggests applying a topcoat of conversion varnish. "Information technology'due south the strongest production we have correct at present," he says. "It's a trivial more than expensive, merely I recollect information technology helps, and the h2o slides right off."

Finally, of course, don't forget the coasters.