Wooden furniture is susceptible to damage and staining from a number of sources. But the good news is that you can resolve many of the more common issues pretty easily.
The first thing to say is that most finishes safeguard the surface of wooden furniture with a protective coating. If you’re working on or below a coating that’s become damaged, stick to the affected depth. In other words, don’t remove more of the finish than you need to. And any repair which involves completely removing the damaged finish means you’ll need to refinish the whole area of repair.
Black spots
When water fully penetrates the wood’s finish, it can lead to black spots. And you can’t remove these without affecting the finish. It may be possible to remove the finish from the surface – if not, you will have to strip the whole furniture item. If you can remove the finish, bleach the whole stained surface with an oxalic acid solution before refinishing.
White spots
Lacquer and shellac finishes don’t resist water or alcohol. Condensation from glasses, and spillages, can leave permanent white marks or rings in their wake. You can try using liquid furniture polish or denatured alcohol – but use as little of the latter as you can. You may need to think again if neither of these two works.
Blushing
This is especially common with old shellac and lacquer finishes. Moisture is behind this problem, and you can sometimes deal with it in the same way you would white spots. Finish by cleaning with a soft cloth, before applying two coats of wax and buffing the wood to a shine.
Ink stains
Once ink has seeped into the finish of the wood, it’s similar to black water spots in that you can’t shift it without refinishing the surface. However, you can sometimes clear the lighter ink marks. Gently buff the affected area using a cloth dampened with white spirit before rinsing the wood with a clean, moist soft cloth. Finally, dry completely before waxing and polishing.
Wax and gum stains
While gum and wax usually lift off pretty easily, you need to be careful not to damage the surface. Don’t scrape or you will cause scratching. One option is to press the affected area with ice wrapped in kitchen paper or a towel to make the deposit brittle; you can then remove the hardened stuff using your thumbnail. It should pop off with minimal pressure.
Grease, crayon, lipstick and paint
You can remove wet paint with an appropriate solvent on a soft cloth – e.g. white spirit for an oil-based product. You can shift other materials by carefully lifting the superficial residue using the edge of a putty knife. But take care not to scrape the timber. Finally, buff gently in the direction of the wood grain with steel wool dampened with white spirit before waxing and polishing the whole surface.
Get in touch
Talk to us at Royal Stone Care for wood repair, restoration and cleaning in London, especially if the above sounds a little complex. Let us take care of your timber furniture, staircases and more – we have the expertise to do a professional, expert job every time. And we cover homes and businesses; so get in touch today.
