White Oak stain.

[PVR]

My neighbor has a jointed white oak board 16' x 15" x 1". This board has what appears to be water marks randomly distributed across the grain. He has started to finish the board using Transtint dye and a wiping urethane. The "water marks" now appear more obvious or visible.

I doubt that these "water marks" are glue marks which have been wiped off during the jointing process because the board was planed and sanded after jointing.

The board will be used as a counter top for a wine rack in a basement entertainment center. There is little ambient light. What are the chances that these "water marks" will fade or become less visible during use?

Peter.

[Ba r r y]

They're probably ray flecks, usually considered quite desirable.

Lookie here:

Barry

[Phisherman]

Not sure about "water marks." White oak has wonderful rays in it. I've trimmed my router table in it and it's great. Stands up to lots of abuse. It's my favorite type of oak.

[RicodJour]

Unlikely. I refinished an oak table once, and a few drops of water hit the freshly sanded top. I let it dry, sanded lightly and applied the finish - that's when the water marks showed up. Apparently I didn't wait long enough for the drops to dry thoroughly, although there was nothing visible.

Since then, if there's any possibility that drops hit the surface, I wipe it down with a wet sponge, let it dry, then sand the raised grain. Not sure if the technique is the trick or my newfound paranoia about stray spritzes of water. ;)

R