How Do I Remove Bad Wood Stain Job? Bleach?

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I built a small animal cage and Just stained it today. I used pre-stain and most of it turned out good but I let the pre-stain on the front dry too long and so the stain went on all splotchy as if i didn’t use any pre-stain on it. I’ve put a lot of work into this piece and want it to turnout good (not splotchy stained), So What should i do bleach it?, sand it?, strip it? Please help!!!

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  1. stretch says:
    January 8, 2011 at 2:04 am

    quailchick,

    There are a lot of factors to consider in your question. First, one must consider the type of wood you are dealing with. It is precisely the peculiar properties of specific woods that determine how to "professionally" finish the project.
    The next question would be what type of "sealer," or pre-stain did you use? In reality, a sealer is used to control sanding as opposed to controlling stain.
    You can control stain penetration by partially sealing the wood before applying the stain, which is called wash coating. If you completely seal the wood, it’s called glazing, shading or toning. These are actually forms of staining, thought they’re not generally called "staining."
    I’m not sure that leaving the "pre-stain" on the wood too long caused the patchiness or splotches because I assume you left the pre-stain on for the same amount of time on the entire front part of the cage. If so, the front part should have had an even stain, even though it may have an appearance different from the remainder of the cage. (Also, is the cage made entirely from one type of wood, or two or more types?) Many people over-look the fact that some glue residue can remain on the wood, especially for small projects or those that contain several different pieces of wood. If this is the case, then you have two options: sand or redissolve it and wash it off. Ability to wash the glue depends on the type used. Stain does not cover glue residue very well and can greatly affect the appearance of the stain. And it can, to some extent, affect your ability to wash or scrape off the glue. If you used the most likely type of glue (white or yellow glue) you can remove it with water, acetone (it’s in lacquer thinner), glycol ether – which by the way is contained in water-based stains and finishes – toluene and xylene. Most of the removers are not usually available around the house, so you should consider sanding the areas to remove any glue residue. You only need to sand down to the point where the glue penetrated the pores of the wood. I would lightly sand the entire front of the animal cage to achieve an even area to re-apply any stain.
    If you are certain glue is not the issue, then it’s a matter of affecting the liquid that has penetrated the pores of the wood. Bleach can be an effective way to remove dye from wood, just as it removes stains from clothes. There are 3 types of bleach that are often sold as "wood bleach," so it’s hard to know what you’re actually getting. The type you could use would be typical household bleach. Wood bleach, the two-part type, removes the natural color from wood, which is not your objective. Apply the bleach to the areas that you want to reduce color or intensity. Let it penetrate the wood since this is what the original liquid or "pre-stain," did. Give it time to lighten the areas concerned (probably over-night). I personally don’t like to use this process unless I have no other choice because it’s difficult to control the effect. If the areas require a great deal of lightening, you can leave the piece in sunlight to intensify the lightening effect. If you do use bleach, you’ll have to lightly sand the area because the fibers of the wood will stand like small hairs, and must be smoothed again. Again, that’s why it’s important to understand the characteristics of the type of wood you are using prior to applying any finish. Wood such as cherry or pine are classic for stain splotches.
    Barring the bleach, you could sand the area down to where the original liquid or pre-stain clogged the wood pores like any first coat of stain will do. This will remove the color and, as an added benefit, remove any glue reside that may be present. Again, sand the entire front of the cage for evenness.
    In your particular case, it may be best to sand the entire front area and begin anew to achieve the desired look.
    Actually, applying a commercial product of pre-stain is wash coating wood. By leaving the pre-stain on too long, it was too heavy and you didn’t get any stain penetration at all. If you apply the pre-stain too lightly, you’ll get too much stain penetration and you won’t be able to correct the splotches. I personally would sand out the color and start over. Apply the pre-stain according to the amount of color penetration you desire, and control the amount of penetration. In my opinion, pres-stain won’t completely control the problem with splotching because some amount of color stain will enter the wood pores. Using a gel stain can get good results because it is applied to the top of the surface with minimal wood penetration. This allows a more even amount of color in top of the wood surface.
    Hopefully I haven’t confused you too much. The short answer is sand the front of the cage and start over.

    good luck

  2. Helen says:
    January 8, 2011 at 2:04 am

    Sand it and then reapply

  3. Neil says:
    January 8, 2011 at 2:04 am

    I don’t know why Helen got a ‘thumb down’, but sanding the piece to natural wood is the best chance of success. It’s a lot of hard and painstaking work, though.

  4. BobBy In NH says:
    January 8, 2011 at 2:04 am

    Do what Helen said then when you reapply, coat it evenly and let sit for a minute then wipe it off with a clean rag. Do one side at a time.

  5. Whisperer says:
    January 8, 2011 at 2:04 am

    The blotchy stain will come off with mineral spirits and steel wool. Paint thinner or lacquer thinner will do the trick also. Use a medium gauge steel wool and wear gloves. Plenty of rags will help wipe the wet stuff off.

  6. Your Handyman Jim says:
    January 8, 2011 at 2:04 am

    If it is still not dry, Then steel wool, paint thinner and rubbing. U will still need to sand it out fairly substantially to remove the pre stain conditioner.

    A side note. Pre conditioner should only be used on soft woods (pine) . If I were building an animal cage I would shoot for a hardwood for longevity and claw resistance….hope this helps…

  7. Joe P says:
    January 8, 2011 at 2:04 am

    Surprisingly, Comet Cleaner works very well if scrubbed on the wood, but it’s also very easy to scratch the wood while doing this, and the wood would have to be sanded afterwards. The comet would help get the stain out with minimal sanding. You can also find other oxygen bleaches in stores such as Home Depot or Lowes, they are the same as Comet and work very well!

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