How to Fix Badly Stained Hardwood

Fixing Light Spots and Fingerprints

• 1

  Place some oil and some abrasive in small jars or cans.

• 2

  Dip a steel wool pad in the oil. Light stains, such as white rings from cups, can often be buffed out of the top layer of the finish on hardwood.

• 3

  Dip the pad into the abrasive.

• 4

  Rub the wood with the grain using a back and forth motion until the stain is gone. Wipe off the wood once the imperfection goes away, and re-polish it with oil or wax, if desired.

Fixing a Thin Spot, Scratch or Dent in Penetrating Finish

• 5

  Dip a steel wool pad in a penetrating finish that matches the current finish on the floor.

• 6

  Gently rub the worn or damaged area with the steel wool, buffing out imperfections and allowing the extra finish to soak into the wood.

• 7

  Allow the area to dry thoroughly.

Bleaching Dark Stains on Bare Hardwood

• 8

  Mix 2 to 4 tablespoons of oxalic acid with 1 pint of hot water in a glass jar. Use a heat proof glass gar. Use 2 tablespoons to make a weak solution for minor stains or 4 tablespoons to make a strong solution for severe stains.

• 9

  Dip a sponge, cloth or brush into the bleaching oxalic acid solution.

• 10

  Apply the solution evenly to the hardwood. Do not apply the solution only to the stained spot, because this method can lead to uneven bleaching. Apply it to the entire piece of hardwood so that it all lightens evenly.

• 11

  Observe the wood as the solution sits on it for 10 to 20 minutes. Add more solution as needed to continue lightening the wood. If the stained area does not lighten as much as the rest of the wood, apply extra solution to the stain only.

• 12

  Rinse the wood with a solution of 1 tablespoon of clear ammonia in 1 quart of water. Do not use ammonia on a bleaching solution that contains regular chlorine bleach instead of oxalic acid. Ammonia and regular bleach release toxic gasses when mixed together.

• 13

  Rinse the wood with plain water and dry it with absorbent cloths. Let the wood dry completely before refinishing it.

Refinishing Hardwood

• 14

  Coat the old stain with a liquid, gel or paste chemical finish stripper.

• 15

  Allow the stripper to sit for long enough to soften the stain. Follow manufacturer's instructions, because different chemical strippers take different amounts of time to work.

• 16

  Scrape off the softened finish with a putty knife.

• 17

  Use steel wool to remove finish that does not come off easily with the putty knife.

• 18

  Rinse off the chemical stripper residue, in accordance with its manufacturer's instructions. Some chemical strippers come off with water, but others require turpentine or another solvent.

• 19

  Sand the hardwood to smooth it before refinishing and to remove any remnants of the old stain. Start with a 120-grit sandpaper to remove large imperfections and leftover finish. For fine pieces of furniture, smooth the wood with a finer 220-grit sandpaper again before applying the new finish.

• 20

  Apply a wood filler to create a totally smooth surface on open-grained woods, if desired. This step is not necessary, but some people prefer the less-natural look of filled-in wood grains.

• 21

  Apply the new stain or finish to the wood, following the manufacturer's instructions. Most stains require the user to paint them on with a brush. Many penetrating stains also require the user to rub away excess stain with a cloth. Most stains look best and last longest when the wood has two coats of the stain.