This isn’t for my house this time, it is for my mother. She put some plants down on a table (I am assuming the table has varithane on it) and now there are darker water stains underneath them. The table was made by my dad, so she is trying to avoid a fight. Is there any help for this? Do I need to strip it to fix it? I will post pics later, but I thought I would put out the feelers now.
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Try a quick wipe with some alcohol first. There's a slight chance it could be a shellac finish and that would clean it up. If it's not shellac you'll have to stip the finish, bleach the stain with oxalic acid, sand, stain and refinish.
What kind of alcohol would be best to use? Will the alcohol affect the rest of the table top?
"Denatured alcohol", from a
"Denatured alcohol", from a hardware or paint store.
Because you say the damage is darker staining, I suspect that the damage has gone through the finish and into the wood. It has likely lifted the finish a bit. If this truly has happened, there is no fix short of stripping and refinishing. However if the water intrusion is only into the finish and hasn't compromised the finish/wood interface, the alcohol trick may work. But first, try a less intrusive method... Apply some oily substance such as mayoannaise or petroleum jelly onto the area. Let it sit overnight then wipe it off. If you're lucky, the oily stuff will penetrate the finish, displace the water, and look good again. If this has no effect, then try the alcohol. You want to barely whisk the surface with a dampened, not soaked, clean cotton rag. Wisp it on. The evaporative effect is what draws the moisture out. If the finish is a shellac, you have a great potential for real damage although this too is repairable. (By someone)