The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
-----

Carbon stain removal from whitewashed oak

I have a whitewashed oak dining room table which has been stained with carbon when ink pens were pressed down too heavily for copies. I have tried lemon juice, vinegar ⇦in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , furniture cleaner...the dark print is still there. What can I do?

Diana Harris
secretary - Greenacres, Florida, USA
2004

This is probably going to be a job for a profesional. It sounds like you are going to have to have the surface sanded down below the stain and refinished (I suggest having them use a polyurathane as a final finish).

Marc Banks
- Elizabeth City, North Carolina
2004

Should I contact the furniture store where the table was purchased for this? I have gotten most of the stain up with toothpaste, but now have glossy spots where I used it and they won't come up, either. Shouldn't I have been told when I bought the table that it stained easily?

Diana Harris
- Greenacres, Florida
2005

---

Perhaps they should have, as you've got most of the stain up I suggest using fine and very fine grade #0000 steel wool ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] to buff the table to a uniform shine.

Marc Banks
- Elizabeth City, North Carolina
2005