How to remove stain

4 years ago

I inherited a clock from my grandmother that I would like to refinish. It's a wood plaque with a bunch of nails hammered into it to create a floral design. I love it except for the very orange wood. I'm hoping to change the color of the wood, ideally to a driftwood color. Obviously I can't remove all the nails so I have to find a way to do this without sanding. I don't want to paint it. Is there some chemical I could use that is fluid enough to get around all the nails? I've read maybe bleach or vinegar? I can remove the entire clock mechanism so there would only be the wood with nails in it. Any brilliant ideas would be appreciated.

Featured Answer

bethn1188
Original Author

4 years ago

Lol driftwood just means a more neutral, grayish or natural color. All my furniture is some shade of that so the orange really clashes with it and is extremely dated.

I did use the Citristrip and it came out exactly as I was hoping! It took off the polyurethane (which is what gives wood the orange color as it yellows over time, not the wood itself) and the wood is now a natural color. It even cleaned up the nails so thanks so much Jinx for the suggestion!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

klem1
4 years ago
Take it to a furniture refinisher to have it dipped. Get an estimate for finishing to decide whether you want to diy or have them do it.
Jilly
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
You can use a stripper, such as Citristrip. Google for lots of step by step instructions people have posted of their projects. Wear thick gloves and keep steel wool or any kind of steel brush away from it.

I just did a coffee table and nearly ruined the entire project using steel wool to remove the stripper from some tight areas. Long story. :D

You’ll possibly still need to lightly sand with a fine sandpaper, depending on how well the stripper works, and to clean it up. I’d try a 220 grit first, you may have to go lower. Have a couple of old toothbrushes handy for around the nails. Clean it all well after stripping/sanding and stain again or just seal the natural wood with wax or a water based poly.

I just saw this tutorial using Citristrip spray. I’ve never used the spray, but it might be worth looking into for a small project like yours:

https://www.pineandprospecthome.com/citri-strip-spray-honest-review/
Related Professionals
Gainesville Cabinets & Cabinetry · Fargo Cabinets & Cabinetry · Odessa Carpenters · Clarksburg Flooring Contractors · Springfield Flooring Contractors · Billings Furniture & Accessories · Clarksdale Carpenters · Newport Carpenters · Myrtle Beach Cabinets & Cabinetry · Vancouver Cabinets & Cabinetry · Dallas Furniture & Accessories · Aberdeen Carpenters · Asheville Carpenters · Vancouver Carpenters · Danville Custom Closet Designers
bethn1188
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you!
btydrvn
4 years ago
Stripping will never eliminate the orange …but it will affect the metal parts in an unpredictable way..those woods usually get more orange as they age…no matter what you do to them..
User
4 years ago
Trying to do any of that is a good way to rust all those nails to nothing. Leave it alone.
Jilly
4 years ago
Citristrip doesn’t rust metal, in fact it can be used to remove rust and paint from metal. Bleach or vinegar would be bad, yes.
Miranda33
4 years ago
“ideally to a driftwood color.”

I understand why you’d want to change your grandmother’s clock that she left to you from its orange color. But a change to a driftwood shade would be a shame. Why do you want it to look like driftwood? It is literally the color of old water-logged wood washed up on the beach and left there.
Jilly
4 years ago
Thank you for the update, glad it turned out well. :)