White Blushing and Water Stains on Wood

Water Damage, Blushing, Milky White Stain, Hazing

Removing Blushing and Watermarks

What are Blushes and Water Marks?

Blushing is a light milky color in wood finishes, caused when moisture is trapped beneath the finish. It happens by

Long-term exposure to humidity, or can be introduced to the lacquer as water vapor in the original application.
When water is splashed on the furniture or wet and hot items such as hot and wet coffee mugs are allowed to sit on the lacquer for a period of time.

White Watermarks

Light marks are milky-white and are caused by moisture getting into the finish and creating voids that interfere with the finish’s transparency.

Removing White Watermarks

From the least damaging (and generally least effective) to the potentially most damaging.

Apply Oil: Use furniture polish, petroleum jelly or mayonnaise, to the damaged area and allow the liquid or gel to remain overnight. The oil will often restore some of the transparency (by filling some of the microscopic voids).
Heat: Use a blow dryer or heat gun to soften the finish so it consolidates. Be careful of blistering if the finish gets too hot.
Alcohol: Wipe denatured alcohol gently over the damaged area.
Blush Eliminator: Spray an aerosol “blush” eliminator containing the solvent butyl Cellosolve or a mist of lacquer retarder
Sanding: Rub with a mild abrasive such as toothpaste, or with rottenstone (a very fine abrasive powder) mixed with a light oil or a fine #0000 steel wool lubricated with a light oil, such as mineral oil as last resort.
French polish: Using padding lacquer. The lacquer-thinner solvent in the padding lacquer will soften the finish (the same as if it were wiped or sprayed on separately) and often clear up the damage. It may be necessary to continue polishing the entire surface to get an even sheen.

Dark Watermarks

Dark marks are brown or black and are caused by water and metal residue penetrating through cracks in the finish and getting into the wood. Usually occurs in oil finishes.

Removing Dark Watermarks

Apply Oxalic-acid Bleach: Use oxalic-acid wood bleach ( available in crystal form at pharmacies and at many paint and hardware stores).
- CAUTION:
  - THIS IS NOT HOUSEHOLD BLEACH.
  - Oxalic acid is toxic, capable of causing severe skin and respiratory problems. Wear gloves and goggles when using it, and don’t generate airborne dust.
Leveling light, raised-grain watermarks in oil finishes: Level raised grain with sandpaper or steel wool and apply more oil finish. Abrade the damaged area as little as possible to avoid lightening the color of the wood.

References

How to Remove Watermarks - Popular Woodworking MagazineA wet drinking glass can make an ugly white or dark ring on your furniture. Here’s how to fix the damage. by Bob Flexner Watermarks occur on furniture with finishes that have aged. These marks, also called water rings when they’re round in shape, rarely occur in newly applied film-building finishes, even those such as...

How to Fix Wood With White DiscolorationWood shouldn't have any white areas unless you've painted it. However, cloudy white patches are one of the more common problems for wood or wood finishes. The white can originate in the finish -- the most typical -- or exist in wood fibers due to abuse, weather or minerals in the wood. Professionals deal with white ...

How to Repair Wooden Furniture SurfacesFrom scratches to discoloration, the surfaces of your wooden furniture are vulnerable to all kinds of damage. Luckily, many of the problems can be fixed. Read this article to learn how.