How to remove water stains on furniture?

Question

Hi, my friend gave me some potplants with dishes, but I didn't realise that they would cause stains on my furniture. One is just a straightforward water stain on rubber wood (side table). Another pot

has for some reason left coloured spots on the top of a white veneer cabinet (see photo). Any ideas for removing or disguising these marks?  😫 Thanks!

JacobZ · Answer

Hi @YasHaskell,

Sample sized products are generally used to give a physical example of the colour in your home, so they are usually very basic things like interior paint or simple primers. Unfortunately, these products do not come in sample sizes because they are for more specific uses.

For the oil, this

https://www.bunnings.com.au/feast-watson-250ml-scandinavian-oil_p1564833

is a smaller size that would also work fine. With the varnish, the one I recommended is already the smallest size available.

For the enamel paint, the smallest size I could find is this

https://www.bunnings.com.au/british-paints-500ml-white-gloss-h2o-enamel-paint_p1420578

.

Unfortunately, the high adhesion primers you would need are not available in smaller sizes. This

https://www.bunnings.com.au/dulux-340g-multi-surface-primer-spray-paint_p0795683

is smaller, but I can't guarantee it would work perfectly with the melamine. Ensuring you get a nice mechanical key through roughing up the surface will certainly help though.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

YasHaskell · Answer

Thanks Jacob. Would it be possible for me to buy those products in a small sample size?

JacobZ · Answer

Hi @YasHaskell,

For the rubber wood side table, the water stain can be fixed by lightly sanding the affected area back using 120 grit sandpaper and then reapplying a finish to match the original. If you run your hand over the table, can you feel the timber grain, or does it feel more like a film? If you can feel the grain, I'd suggest using an oil such as

https://www.bunnings.com.au/cabot-s-1l-clear-danish-oil_p1522033

, if it feels more like a film, you'll want to use varnish like this

https://www.bunnings.com.au/cabot-s-250ml-matt-oil-based-cabothane-clear-polyurethane-timber-varnish_p1521265

.

The white cabinet is trickier because it’s a melamine finish, which you can’t really sand back heavily without damaging it, so removing the stain is much harder. In that case, your best option is to cover the stain by painting. Start by lightly sand the surface with 120-grit to form a mechanical key, then applying a primer and painting the top surface to get a consistent finish again. For the primer, you should use a high adhesion primer such as

https://www.bunnings.com.au/dulux-1l-precision-white-maximum-strength-adhesion-primer_p1400848

, for the paint an enamel paint such as Dulux Aquanamel would work well.

Make sure you apply two coats, allowing sufficient drying time, usually around 2 hours, between the primer and coats of paint.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob