Watermarked Oak Furniture

[EcclesCake]

A plant pot cover has left a water mark and some black staining (mould?) in the grain of my light oak sideboard.

Can anyone suggest a DIY method of restoring it?

TIA

[jomifl]

Hi Eccles, this is a difficult one, the staining probably is not mould but tannins leached out from the wood cells that may have reacted with metal salts. I would try citric acid solution to start with, if that doesn't work try oxalic acid solution ( this is poisonous but not in trace amounts), hydrogen peroxide may work but when you get onto bleach you are going so chemically damage the structure of the wood so it is best avoided. There are some websites that give good advice on wood weathering stain removal, I haven't dealt with de-staining oak so can just say be careful.

[EcclesCake]

I was hoping the word 'difficult' wouldn't appear in the answer! I was looking forward to a 'just wipe it over with a dandelion leaf and Bob's your Uncle' kind of answer :-)

Citric and oxalic acids I have and will try them both.

Many thanks.

[Vicasso]

If you google "black watermarks on furniture" there are are number of sites with advice.
I had a similar experience with a light oak dining table. I repaired it with very fine grade wire wool and methylated spirits. It took a while, but eventually the stain disappeared and I was able to re-oil the the surface. As jomifl says, regardless of which method use use, just be careful.

[Vicasso]

oops..... 'which method YOU use'

[EcclesCake]

My first though had been to try fine wire wool but thought I'd look into a more gentle solution first.

I really should ask my brother, he used to be a furniture restorer, he'll blind me with science though and promise to come and do it for me.....sometime in 2014!