Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with woodstain

Help me with wood stain and varnish fumes.

Zinger — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 16:23:19 -0800

Suggestions for getting rid of the smell of wood stain/varnish? We just bought a nice buffet/hutch for our dining room, and we had it stained to match our existing dining room table. The problem is, it reeks. It's winter here so wide open windows really isn't an option, and so far I've tried: bowls full of bicarb soda, bowls full of white vinegar, and one of those air filter/hepa/ionizer thingies. It's moderately better, but still enough to knock you over. Any ideas?

Stain stains?

tristeza — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 18:45:49 -0800

Spilled polyurethane wood stain on my brick walkway - is it doomed? Yeah, so I kicked over the entire can of mahogany stain I was using on a bookshelf. Brill. It now covers about 3' by 2' of my brick patio walkway. I mopped up what I could and kind of just walked away in defeat. Once it dries, is there any way to redeem my bricks from their fate? It is, of course, on the bricks and pooled between them in the dirt (there's not concrete or anything between the bricks, just dirt).

At least I didn't try to hose it down, that would have been a disater, right?

How do I refinish a much-abused table?

cali — Sat, 19 Mar 2005 13:50:23 -0800

I need advice on how to refinish a dining table that is badly damaged. The table is walnut and about 50 years old. The wood is very dry, enough so that the grain is visibly raised, and the finish has been completely gone for years. The stains are dark (including one large spot stained by persimmons). I've been told that sanding a table this dry is a problem because it will splinter. Since it seems reasonable that I will have to sand it, do I have to counteract the dryness first and if so what is the best way to do that? Secondly, I know that persimmon juice is used to stain wood (intentionally), so I'm assuming this will be especially tricky to get out. Any tips there? Lastly, the table has leaves which are beautiful and not at all damaged, and I'd like to try to match them if possible. These appear to be oiled but not stained. I'm willing to put some effort into this and I have access to tools, but if it sounds like more than an enthusiastic but untrained amateur can handle I'd appreciate being told that too.