Q: I have a solid teak dinning table that has a very bad and large dark water stain and I would like to get it out. How do I go about doing that?
A: Be aware that not all black water stains will come out. However, those that do usually respond to oxalic acid, but that only works on raw wood.
Start by removing all the finish with paint remover. You’ll find sanding the finish off is not always practical, since teak often has a penetrating oil in it. A strong paint remover will take it out, but you’d have to sand very far into the wood to sand it out. Once you are back to clean, raw wood, sand it lightly, then flood the entire surface of the table top, not just the area with the black stain, with a 10% solution of oxalic acid in warm water. Make sure it is very wet, but don’t leave puddles. Let the wood dry overnight, and if it comes out partially, but not completely, repeat. Once the stain is out and the wood is dry, remove the dried white oxalic acid residue with a damp cloth before finishing.
Michael Dresdner
straight talk about wood finishing
Leave a Reply