We had some stains on beams ... they were stained but not varnished. We treated the stain lines with a bleach solution. It did pull some of the stain, so we had to restain a bit after. Anything you try, make sure you test on an inconspicuous location first.

Do you remember the solution?

It was Clorox bleach and water. We can't remember whether it was 25% or 50%; I guess you could try the lower potency first to be safe and then go stronger if it doesn't do anything. We dabbed it on just the stain lines, let it sit for a bit, and then dabbed plain water to neutralize. Our beams are rough, so anything involving sanding or wiping wasn't an option. You'll need to wait for the wood to dry fully to see the effects.

Be sure to wear gloves when you're working with the bleach, and if you'll be working over your head, I'd wear eye protection, as well. Also, move or cover anything underneath in case you drip.

If there's varnish or anything sealing them, you'll need to remove the finish before you can get at the stains (and then feather back in afterwards). Since the wood's natural, it should only affect the stain.

Thank you! 🤞

We found the site we got the method from ...

I guess we didn't use water afterwards (must be thinking of a different project on that). The solution didn't change the wood itself, though it did leech a bit of the stain on the beams.