If you'd like to stain wood in a more light-colored shade or apply paint to it with a completely different shade, it is possible to learn how to remove those stains made of oil from wood. In the case of restoration projects, taking the stain off of wood gives you a blank canvas to create the perfect scene you want.
In actual fact, you will not achieve your desired results that you envision in your mind until you make sure that all previous stainings are gone first.
While there are many solvents, as well as chemical stain strippers, that you can employ to eliminate stain that is based on oil from wood, below are the most basic steps to follow and the tools you'll need:
Set up the workspace.
You must ensure that you're in a well-ventilated space and avoid strong winds and direct sunlight if you decide to work outside. If your work area is indoors, place drop cloths to protect your flooring.
Be safe.
Wear old clothing with sleeves and pants that are long as well as protective gloves and safety goggles to remain safe.
Make sure the wood surface is prepared.
To prepare the surface of the wood to be stained, scrub all dirt and dust using soapy water. After that, apply a towel to dry it completely.
Use the stain removal agent for wood.
Read carefully the directions on the labels of your chemical stripper that are available at your local hardware or home improvement store. After that, apply the product according to the instructions. Most of the time, you'll put the solution in a glass or metal container and use a paintbrush to apply a thick coat of the stripper over the wood's surface. Take note of applying uniformly. Apply the stripper in small sections of approximately an inch square, one at a time, when you are working with huge furniture pieces or wood flooring.
Allow the stain stripper to be over the entire surface for around 15 minutes. Reapply when necessary to ensure that the surface does not dry out this time.
Get rid of the stain.
When the product used to strip the wood begins to cause the wood to bubble and expand, it's a cue that it's time to get rid of it. Utilize a putty knife or plastic scraper to lightly scrape the stain and stripper layer off the surface of the wood. If you need to, employ the steel wool pad to scrub areas in which the stain layer is not removed using scraping. Be sure to follow your wood's grain when you are scrubbing or scraping.
Remove the particles of stain.
Make use of a damp cloth to remove any remaining dirt or stain that may be on the surface. Let it to sit for at least a day.
If necessary, sand the surface.
When you've reached this stage, you might find that you don't have to sand the area if the stain has gone. If, however, you still see the stain of oil visible on your surface, you'll have to sand all of it off. So long as you've left the area for time to dry for at least 24 hours, then you can start sanding using medium-grit sandpaper or a sanding block. You could use an orbital sander instead.
After sanding, take off dust and any remaining grit using a clean towel and mineral spirit. The wood is now furniture flooring or siding that is ready to receive the application of a new stain or color.