How to Remove Oil Based Stain from Wood Ceiling Beams?

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I have fir ceiling beams that were stained with dark walnut oil stain and I now want to return the wood to its original natural finish. What could I use to achieve this? Is sandblasting a sutiable option?
The beams are interior, structural and 4" x 12" Deep. I did try snading a small area and it got back to the natural wood, with some small pockets of stain remining-labor intensive and dusty though.

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  1. ohhhdear says:
    June 23, 2009 at 10:38 am

    You could also scrape and sand the wood down to the light colored fir. A hand held pad or belt sander may help. Oil stains tend to soak deeply into the grain of the wood, however. You may need to use a powerful wood bleach to lighten it.

  2. Mike says:
    June 23, 2009 at 10:38 am

    Don't know for sure, but stain penetrates beyond the surface–so, short of bleaching/peroxiding to lighten the tone, it probably can't really be gotten rid of. However, bleach/peroxide might destroy the wood fibres. Maybe use a screw driver or chisel to see how deep the stain has penetrated, but it will probably vary from one spot to another. If they're big enough, you could use a power planer to remove 1/8inch–which is just a guess to how deep it probably goes.

  3. Nicole says:
    June 23, 2009 at 10:38 am

    I wouldnt recommend sandblasting INSIDE of the house. I would suggest sanding them, It WILL take awhile, BUT you can sand down to get past the finish. and you WILL be able to get it to the original look.

    I honestly dont know of any better way.

  4. Dr. Feelgood says:
    June 23, 2009 at 10:38 am

    A very tedious job to say the least. Are they rough sawn or smooth? If rough sawn, sanding is out…may try bleaching…but if there is a top coat..what a mess you are looking for.. Not to discourage, but I will try to resolve this.

    Sandblasting can be done and will require a plastic tent to control dust. The tent should have negative pressure, meaning it should be sucking in "outside the tent" air through a vaccum with a hepafilter. Then, you will have a pock marked fir beam. Not sure if this is what you want. It could be then sanded, but again, labor intensive. Are these real functional beams? Or, are they imitation for appearance only. IF not real, remove them, then the labor is much less intensive. HOw many beams?
    Another choice, if they are smooth, is to laminate them with any choice of hardwood you wish. This will require gluing, but then, the oil stain may be a problem….you do pose a tough question. Wish I had a better idea.

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