Help for oak table

yzhuz

Hope you can help.

I have an oak table for long time. found there are several green oil-based stain on the top of the table yesterday, not very noticeable. Don't know since when they have been there. Tried to get rid of them yesterday by using warm water and cotton cloth. But it didn't work. My friend suggested me use the rubber. Tried it as well. But it turned out the stains were still there, however, the places i erased with rubber are much lighter than the rest of the table top, very obvious in the sunlight.

Can anyone advise me 1) how to get rid of these slight green oil-based stain and 2) how to get these places back to the normal light like other top surface (like to know why these places are much lighter? did i remove these wax with the rubber)? Quite new to wood furniture, very appreciate if anyone can help.

PS: table is light oak color.

yzhuz

Is there any advice? Cheers

DirectDebacle

Try cleaning it with a green Scotch Brite or 0000 grade wire wool wetted with white spirit. Work with the grain to avoid scratches. This will clean all wax off and maybe the green oil (if that is what it is). Re-polish with a good quality furniture wax e.g. Briwax (not a spray polish). Wax polish available in different shades. Buy a shade lighter than the finish table.

If the stain doesn't come out then seek advice from a local restorer/refinisher. May require cleaning/bleaching or even sanding and then a re-finish.

yzhuz

DirectDebacle wrote: »

Try cleaning it with a green Scotch Brite or 0000 grade wire wool wetted with white spirit. Work with the grain to avoid scratches. This will clean all wax off and maybe the green oil (if that is what it is). Re-polish with a good quality furniture wax e.g. Briwax (not a spray polish). Wax polish available in different shades. Buy a shade lighter than the finish table.

If the stain doesn't come out then seek advice from a local restorer/refinisher. May require cleaning/bleaching or even sanding and then a re-finish.

Thanks for the advise DirectDebacle, will give it a try. May trouble you again later, very new to carpentry. Thanks again.

anotherbaldrick

Does the table have an applied finish ? ie. wax or oiled or varnished , or is the oak plain raw unfinished ?

Leif

Good advice by DD. As said above, what is the finish? Why do you say the stain is oil based? What is it?

cyclonebri1

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

Does the table have an applied finish ? ie. wax or oiled or varnished , or is the oak plain raw unfinished ?

Thats the key to the issue op, sounds like it was a waxed finish and stain of some sort has breached the wax.

I would try a fairly potent solvent if it's waxed, if it's lacquered in someway, you may have to refinish the lot.

yangptangkipperbang

DirectDebacle wrote: »

Try cleaning it with a green Scotch Brite or 0000 grade wire wool wetted with white spirit.

DO NOT use ordinary wire wool on oak !

The tannin in the wood reacts with the iron and turns the wood black.

Try and get non-ferrous wire wool - not easy...........