white stains on wood floor

I unknowingly spilled ethanol on wood floor. Now, there are white stains on the floor. I rub them with cooking oil. That lessen the problem, for a while, maybe a month. Then, the stains come back.

The biggest spot is about 2"x3", not so big.

Is there a way to get rid of white stains? Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.

Reply to
Chuck Jacobs
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Probaby just the finish. Depends the finish. try some mineral spirits on a spot.

Greg

Reply to
gregz

replying to Chuck Jacobs, billien wrote: Try covering the stain with a dry cotton cloth and rub it with a hot iron for about 2-3 seconds. You could even use a wool pad that has been soaked in lemon oil.Gently rub the wool onto the white ring.Finally dampen the cloth with denatured alcohol and rub it over the stain for a few seconds. Just try this out.It may work.

Reply to
billien

Kind of surprising that ethanol would do this, unless there is a lot of it and it was allowed to sit there. I'd suspect it's affected the clear finish and not the wood. If so, you might be able to apply urethane to the one area. But then it may not blend in either. If there is a area you could test in a closet or similar you could test it. Other option of course is to call in some pros who have experience.

Reply to
trader_4

Chuck,

It all depends on what kind of finish is on the floor. One of the least destructive remedies to try would be; get some super fine, furniture finishing steel wool, grade #0000 would probably be a good start. Also, get some high quality paste wax, I am very fond of Butcher Block brand white paste wax.

Rub the steel wool on the wax in the can to pick up some of the wax, then, start gently rubbing an area around the damage and do so in the direction of the wood grain.

The steel wool is so fine that is should remove microscopic amounts of the damaged finish, the wax acts as a lubricant to help produce an even finer and more lustrous finish.

Finally, use a pure cotton, terry cloth rag to buff the area after the wax had dried.

Remember, do not just rub the damage itself, you want to blend the surrounding finish with the damaged area.

If you want to be extra safe, try the wax and steel wool on a hidden section of the floor, like the inside of a closet, before attacking the main issue.

Reply to
Stormin' Norman

He might try a few drops of lacquer thinner on one of those spots . If that is a lacquer-based finish the alcohol has caused the finish to "blush" . This is a common problem when applying those finishes in high humidity conditions - and alcohol is chemically similar and may cause the same problems . Similar to the white rings left on furniture from a sweating glass of water/soda/etc .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

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