how can I remove water stains from 1950's blonde wooden window sills?

[Paul Fischer]

Hey guys, this is followup on a previous post. I have these 70 year old window frames in my house that have bad water stains on them from all the years of condensation. I'd like to refinish these but need to get this off first. I tried ocalic acid, vinegar, light sanding. Nothing so far is working so I thought it would be wise to ask the experts. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Paul

 

[lew]

@kmealy, our resident finishing expert, should be along shortly with some advice.

[Paul Fischer]

That would be great! Thank you.

[kmealy]

I see people recommend oxalic acid, aka OA,(or Barkeeper's Friend, 5% OA) as a general purpose bleach a lot.  It's my understanding that it's (only) useful for stains with iron and tannin (an acid in the wood) or UV exposure.  But whatever.  There are three primary wood bleaches, OA is only one of them.

 

https://www.antiquerestorers.com/Articles/jeff/using_wood_bleach.htm

[kmealy]

As an addendum:   I have only used it a few times, but you might consider a grain filler once the stains are out.  It looks like the earlywood has left deep impressions.  A grain filler will help level them.

[Paul Fischer]

Thanks for the info kmealy! Very helpful. You are correct about the wood having groves. Almost looks raked in some places. These sills are 71 years old and need some tlc. I'll look into the grain filler. Never heard of that before. Sounds like a great idea. Thanks again!

[Paul Fischer]

Kmealy what would be a good grain filler to use? There's so many to choose from. Thanks.

[Grandpadave52]

9 hours ago, Paul Fischer said:

Kmealy what would be a good grain filler to use? There's so many to choose from. Thanks.

@kmealy. In case you miss the follow-up question.

 

Welcome to The Patriot Woodworker Paul. Great to have you join us. Looking forward to seeing this project evolve. 

[Grandpadave52]

9 hours ago, Paul Fischer said:

These sills are 71 years old and need some tlc. I'll look into the grain filler.

Same age as me. I too need TLC and probably could benefit from grain filler.

[HARO50]

2 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Same age as me. I too need TLC and probably could benefit from grain filler.

The donuts not doing the job?

[Cal]

Welcome aboard Paul, glad to have you here.  And thanks for the question - I can't speak for everyone here but I generally learn some new stuff when Keith posts up

[kmealy]

Like I (may have) said, I have not used grain fillers a lot.  I got some when I went to a refinishing class, but I think I've only used it twice.  It was a proprietary product from Guardsman, then a subsidiary of Valspar, and Valspar has since been acquired by Sherwin Williams.

 

Do not use wood putties like plastic wood -- they are meant for something else.

 

Depending on your local sources, Mohawk and Old Masters generally make good products.  But follow my rule: When using a new product  or procedure, run trial tests on scrap before committing to your project. 

 

Be aware that they come in different colors so decide what you want highlighting the open grain relative to your stain (if any).  They also come in water- and oil-based versions.

 

 

https://www.rockler.com/learn/using-wood-grain-filler

https://www.finewoodworking.com/project-guides/finishing/make-your-own-grain-fillers

 

 

As an aside, I would  not use the ubiquitous polyurethane on the top coat.  

 

Edited March 12, 2024 by kmealy

[Grandpadave52]

40 minutes ago, kmealy said:

and Valspar has since been acquired by Sherwin Williams.

I was not aware of this acquisition. Thanks.

[Paul Fischer]

Thanks guys. This is interesting. Now the harder part, how to I match that old milky looking blonde finish? Anyone know how they did that back in the 1950's? I've tried but doesn't match up very well. Is there a trick to this? Kind of looks like shellac maybe? But where did that milky look come from?

Thanks.

[kmealy]

3 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

I was not aware of this acquisition. Thanks.

Yes, Guardsman, the company that I initially franchised with, then later, just did work for, was acquired by Lilly, then Lilly was acquired by Valspar.   When S-W bought Valspar, they spun off the "protection plan" (the group that did the repair work) business to another company.  That happened after I retired, so I am not sure who, if anyone, is making their finishing and touchup products that were very good.   My first experience with Guardsman was way back using one of their "Warm Brown Glaze."  Still have a bit of it left and savoring it.

Edited March 12, 2024 by kmealy

[kmealy]

3 hours ago, Paul Fischer said:

Thanks guys. This is interesting. Now the harder part, how to I match that old milky looking blonde finish? Anyone know how they did that back in the 1950's? I've tried but doesn't match up very well. Is there a trick to this? Kind of looks like shellac maybe? But where did that milky look come from?

Thanks.

Another of my finishing rules: Don't let a customer describe a color to you using words.  Got photos?

 

[Paul Fischer]

Yes. There's the one above, at the begining but it's not very good. Here's a much better one.
 

 

[Paul Fischer]

This house was built the year i was born 1953 so I suspect that's when all this milky looking blonde wood was installed. I've been trying to match it for years but have never come very close to that look. Have you any idea how they did this?

 

Thanks for your help!

[Paul Fischer]

Here's my lame attempt to match this wood. Mine is the bottom one. I'm using trim I removed and replaced with new stuff (the exact same style I got from a lumber yard in Ohio).

 

[Paul Fischer]

As you can see it's not even close. I mixed some minwax latte stain with water based poly. Just not doing the job. Any advice would be apprecaited.