Create an ideabook for your next remodeling project!
Browse more than 1,000,000 photos from top designers and save your favorites
Quick Fix: Erase Water Rings from Furniture
A few household items can quickly rejuvenate tarnished wood tabletops
Despite how religious you are about coaster use in your house, chances are you have at least one water ring plaguing a piece of furniture. I didn't learn the importance of coasters until after college, and by then my beautiful hand-me-down Drexel coffee table had been tarnished with multiple rings from bottles of beer and wine. Is it too late to save it? Luckily Peter Stames of Archia Homes has a solution for even the toughest of alcohol and water stains.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
To get rid of a new stain: Apply a clean cloth to blot the stain, and press a warm iron on top of the cloth until the stain is removed. Make sure the iron is just warm — not hot — and don't use any steam. If you'd rather not use this technique, try rubbing the stain with a soft cloth and olive oil or another natural oil.
If this doesn't work, try using mayonnaise or petroleum jelly and leave it overnight. Simply wipe it clean the next morning — the stain should be gone.
If this doesn't work, try using mayonnaise or petroleum jelly and leave it overnight. Simply wipe it clean the next morning — the stain should be gone.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
To get rid of an older stain: Moisten a cotton cloth in olive oil, and touch the cloth to a bit of rottenstone (see next photo). Gently rub the stained area with the cloth until the ring appears to be gone. Never wax or polish over an alcohol or water ring, since this will permanently set the stain on the wood finish.
Like it? Save it to your Ideabook »
Rottenstone is a rock used as a polishing abrasive in woodworking, and is usually made with limestone mixed with other materials. This fine powder can be mixed with natural oils to polish wood to a fine finish.
More quick fixes:
Correct Squeaky Floors and Sticky Doors
Protect Your Mirrors
Multipurpose Painter's Tape
More quick fixes:
Correct Squeaky Floors and Sticky Doors
Protect Your Mirrors
Multipurpose Painter's Tape
Ideabook updated on Oct. 25, 2011.
What are you working on?
News From Our Partners
Latest Ideabooks
People found the photos in this ideabook after searching for:
View over a million photos:
basements · bedrooms · dining rooms · entries · family rooms · garage and sheds · halls · home offices · landscapes · laundry rooms · powder rooms · wine cellars and more.
ggs