Spills and stains, especially on wood, can perhaps be the greatest fear you can face while hosting. However many coasters or cloths you provide, guests will inevitably break the rules, and the next morning, you'll be met with the consequences: unsightly ring stains on your beautiful wood furniture and surfaces.
As part of getting my dining room looking its best ahead of the festive season, I texted my dad — an experienced furniture and cabinet maker — asking whether it was actually possible to remove the water stain on my wood table. His response? A thumbs-up emoji, of course. But after pressing him further, he shared three clever tricks for removing water stains from wood surfaces.
The course you take will depend on your specific stain — you might only need to try one approach, but you also might need to try them all before you see results. But, there was one thing my dad did stress: "If you Google it and the method says something strange like use mayonnaise, I would generally steer clear, as you don’t know how it might affect the wood." Similarly, he said some people like to use toothpaste, baking soda, or hand sanitizer, but the tricks below are "traditionally the most tried and tested." So, here's how to remove water stains from wood furniture.
Guy Smith (my dad) trained as a cabinet maker at the London College of Furniture (now a part of London Metropolitan University) in the 80s, where he was mentored by experts in the field of the fine and precise work of furniture making. He then began an apprenticeship at Restall Brown & Clenell in East London, before qualifying as an expert Cabinet Maker and Furniture Restorer, making traditional, classical, and Art Deco-inspired pieces. After leaving the company and settling in Worthing, West Sussex, he started Guy Smith Carpentry. Since then, he has spent the last 25 years working independently on various projects, including bespoke cabinetry and furniture making, restorations of period properties, and creating personalized kitchens, libraries, extensions, and more. His love of vintage style has even led him into the world of antique and fashion collection, and it is rare to spot Guy without a flat cap — even on site.
1. The Heat Method
Easy to do with things you likely already have at home, this method for removing water stains from wood furniture is always my dad’s first port of call. All you need is an iron and a cotton cloth.
"Put the cloth on the piece of furniture and heat gently for around 20 to 30 seconds," he tells me. "It's important you keep the iron at a medium heat and constantly moving. The water stain might not disappear straight away, but try two or three times of repetitive heating — it's something you have to do slowly."
The issue with rushing this method for removing water stains from wood furniture, or leaving the heat in one spot for too long, is that you'll actually risk burning the wood, further damaging it. It's also worth noting that this approach works on both untreated and varnished wood furniture, so however your furniture has been made, it's typically the best place to start.
2. The Oil Method
Another method for removing water stains from wood furniture that only requires everyday household items is the 'oil method'. This technique uses olive oil to displace trapped moisture and fade the stain away. This time, rather than a cloth, it's best to use very fine wire wool, soaked in olive oil.
Again, it's important to be gentle and patient, and not to apply too much pressure. "You need to rub with the grain of the wood, rather than against it," Guy stresses. "Otherwise, you'll scratch the surface and create even worse marks than before."
If you've got wire wool lying around at home, or you're trying to find some online, Guy recommends '0000 Grade' as it's the finest and least likely to further damage your wood furniture. This 0000 Grade Steel Wool from Amazon would do the trick.
And, while some people recommend mixing the olive oil with salt or vinegar, Guy says to be wary here, adding that it's best to stick with plain olive oil as it's less abrasive and less likely to damage the wood further.
3. The Final Resort
Okay, so you've tried heat and oil to no avail? If your stain is really stubborn, it's likely you're going to have to sand down the surface in order to properly remove the water stains from your wood. But don't worry — it's not as scary as it sounds. You're only going to take off a fine layer across the surface.
As to how, Guy says, "It's much easier to use an electric sander, rather than doing it manually because it's more even and also less hard work to get right." But, of course, you can choose to do it by hand with sandpaper, too.
He recommends starting with a 120-grit sandpaper (readily available on Amazon), before moving to 180-grit (also on Amazon), and then finishing with 240-grit (again, Amazon). Personally, Guy uses a Mirka Orbital Sander for these kinds of jobs.
If you don't own (and don't want to invest) in a sander, you can also do this task by hand, it's just going to take much longer. These sanding sponges will help.
When sanding, there are also some things you need to watch out for. Furniture made with veneer means the wood layer on top is very thin, and you don’t want to completely erode it, so you can't remove too much from the top. Secondly, if you're sanding down a stain, then you will have to sand the entire surface. If you only do the patch where the stain is, then once you reapply the varnish, the color is likely to look patchy compared to the rest of the piece.
"If you choose to sand, then you will have to refinish the wood with a vanish or French polish, depending on what was used previously," adds Guy. "Even when the wood looks like it was unfinished, it often has a very light wax on it for protection, which you will need to reapply."
For example, this wood varnish from Furniture Clinic (available at Amazon) comes in numerous different sheens and shades, depending on the wood.
Hopefully, by now you've managed to remove the water stains from your wood furniture, and it's looking good as new again. But the job shouldn't stop there: next, you want to find ways to ensure it won't happen again. For that, there are plenty of stylish coasters, tablecloths, runners, and placemats that can help prevent spills and stains. I've found a few of my favorite designs to shop, below.
