Water damaged wood around windows

[umpire111]

over the winter water has obviously got in around 2 windows. I have now resealed an the rain cannot now get in. There is an oak veneer panelling in the inside around the windows and unfortunately it has become badly blackened by the water ingress. Will this dry out and the black go or can I re stain or repair?

[Alan de Enfield]

It will dry out

It will stay black

Being a veneer you cannot sand it back

It is unlikely you could stain it to match the rest, but you could stain the rest to match

Repair would involve cutting out those stained sections and replacing with new

[SUIGENERIS]

You could try oxalic acid solution , it used to be the main ingredient in a product called colourback supplied by one of the marine paint companies. It is used in bee-keeping now. So a search on google might find an easy supply.

 

Has certainly worked for me on my hardwood cabin sides on a sea boat.

 

It also works well on rust stains. I think it is in jenolite rust treatment too.

 

Of course handle with usual caution as an acid.

[Roger Crown]

If the area is varnished it will need stripping back and then use a wood bleach kit.

http://cpc.farnell.com/rustin-s/wbleset/wood-bleach-set/dp/SA02887?CMP=CPC-PLA

 

Results can be very good.

 

Roger

[Detling]

I stripped the varnish, do not use steel wool as this will react and stain the wood even more, an area 2-3 times the size of the stain. We then used oxalic acid, as the Rustins A and B had no real effect. We treated for several days until the wood basically dried to a light grey, and then used pine wood stain to bring back the yellow (light oak makes it too dark). We then revarnished, a slow process but worth it, as you have to apply several coats of oxalic acid you can spot treat the worst bits more than the rest and sort of fade it out.

[Cheshire cat]

Oxalic acid is available in powder form on ebay. It does the trick. It's acid but it's benign compared with battery acid.

[Alan de Enfield]

I hope the oxalic acid works for you (I have used it reasonably well on 'wood') but find on a thin veneer its not very successful.