How do I remove a dark water stain from wooden floor?

[Dre1511]

How do I remove a dark water stain from wooden floor and then finish with an oil based solution. Will an oxalic acid based products like Diggers stain remover work and finish with Feast Watson Surface Restore. Can you recommend any products please? Thanks 

 

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Dre1511. It's great to have you join us, and many thanks for your question removing a stain.

Is this laminate flooring or timber? Either way, removing a stain of this significance is likely not possible. If it were timber, you'd be looking at sanding the floor and re-coating. Even then, depending on how deep the stain has penetrated, it might not be possible to remove it entirely, and if that was the case, you'd need to replace the boards.

As you've likely read, oxalic acid can be effective at removing black water stains from timber. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell whether it would help unless you were to attempt using it. I would be very cautious about doing so, as there is a good chance it could make the stain worse. The joints on the floorboards are exceptionally well done, so this leads me to question whether this is, in fact, laminate or hybrid vinyl flooring and not timber. If so, I certainly wouldn't be using oxalic acid on it.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[Dre1511]

Thanks for your reply @MitchellMc @. It is re-engineered hard wood not laminate. Might test Oxy on a small area first and let's see if it works. There are many YouTube examples of Oxy working on a hard wood.

[JacobZ]

Hi @Dre1511,

My concern, similar to my colleague @MitchellMc, is that the stain has penetrated quite deeply, and the amount of treatment required to chemically remove this stain would likely cause noticeable bleaching to the surrounding timber.

If you have considered this, and are happy to proceed, a test run would be a great way to confirm the oxalic acid's effectiveness in your application. The back corners of pantries or cupboards are often great for concealed test patches. 

A test-and-see approach to this repair is advisable. I'd suggest you try to gauge the level of effect during your test run, so you can work up to the desired finish incrementally when you commit to the repair.

For best results with Diggers 2kg Rust And Stain Cleaner, I'd suggest sanding the area with Flexovit 120 Grit Timber Sandpaper to remove any coatings, before applying the oxalic acid following the manufacturer's instructions.

Please remember to follow the manufacturer's guidelines for use and wear all personal protective equipment including a mask, eye protection, gloves and protective clothing.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.
 

Jacob