Bleach wood furniture to helprestore itto a fresh, natural appearance for subsequent clear coating orstaining.
What is Wood Bleaching?
Laundry Bleach
Commonhousehold laundry bleachcan be used at full strength to bleach wood.
Luca Piccini Basile / Getty Images
Oxalic acid costs about $14 to $16 per gallon, after diluting with water.
Two-part bleaches can be prohibitively expensive.
Two 1-gallon bottles, which must be purchased in tandem, cost over $100.
Lye is another term for sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide and has an extremely high pH.
It has several applications both in food preservation and cleaning.
Lye is available online or potentially at your local hardware store in the drain cleaning section.
you could obtain a 2 lb bottle for between $15 and $20.
Safety Considerations
Observe safety precautions when handling chlorine bleach, oxalic acid, and two-part bleach.
All substances are toxic and can be fatal if ingested.
Lay down plastic below the wood furniture.
Wear latex or latex-substitute waterproof gloves, eye protection, and breathing protection.
Sand Furniture
Sand the furniture thoroughly with 120 grit sandpaper to remove all coatings.
Embedded stains and paints that were not removed by the paint stripper must be removed by sanding.
Clean Off Wood Dust
Clean the wood dust from the furniture with tack cloth.
Keep the brush continually moving.
Apply the solution evenly across the entire piece.
Do not apply more in one section than in other sections.
On vertical surfaces, start at the bottom and work upward.
Laundry bleach may require five or more coats to begin to lighten the wood.
This allows the bleaching agents to work properly, plus you could better judge the progress of the lightening.
Call a professional woodworker for help with lightening these wood species.
Hydrogen peroxide can bleach wood when combined with another agent such as lye.
When working with soft wood, the bleaching process happens quickly, whilehard woods require more time.
Allow the bleach to work for approximately 20 minutes, then use a damp cloth to wipe it off.
If you notice that the surface hasn’t been fully or evenly bleached, reapply the acid as needed.
For hard woods, complete bleaching may take up to an hour.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Oxalic Acid.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
