Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: Cat stain on red oak- advice?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    129

    Cat stain on red oak- advice?

    Well, I just had the tops and leaves for the dining room table I'm building surface sanded. I got them home and set them on my ping pong table, thinking they would be safe there. Alas, the cat went and peed on one of the sections- . Fortunately, I found it before it dried, but unfortunately, not before it had soaked in. Cleaned it up with water best I could, but there's still a slight stain. What would be the best way to get rid of the stain? The wood is red oak and I want to finish it natural (i.e. no stain). Thanks in advance.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Chappell Hill, Texas
    Posts
    4,741
    Kill the cat before he does it again!!! (kidding.... sorta.....)

    You can bleach the wood. Oxalic acid. That's what the cat did. (Uric acid)

    Or.... pee on the rest of it to get a good blend, and DON'T EVER tell your dinner guests.

    Have you tried flooding it with lacquer thinner, naptha or mineral spirits?

    By the way, Welcome to SMC!!

  3. #3
    Agreed shoot the cat or at least donate it to the some retirement home . Not sure about how to correct it.
    I can pay retail anywhere, so how's your service?
    Grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory one project at a time
    Maker of precision cut firewood


  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Fort Worth, Texas
    Posts
    282
    Quote Originally Posted by Todd Burch
    Kill the cat before he does it again!!! (kidding.... sorta.....)

    You can bleach the wood. Oxalic acid. That's what the cat did. (Uric acid)

    Or.... pee on the rest of it to get a good blend, and DON'T EVER tell your dinner guests.

    Have you tried flooding it with lacquer thinner, naptha or mineral spirits?

    By the way, Welcome to SMC!!
    I'm with Todd - I have a cat that does the same thing - to many times - looking for a new home for it - any takers???

    The one time it happend on unfinished wood I used mineral spirits to deal with the problem - seemed to work ok, not great - but ok - will use Todd's suggestion the next time.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    McKean, PA
    Posts
    15,593
    Blog Entries
    1
    I've had water stains on oak before. One way that seems to work is to wet the entire piece evenly with water and let it dry. When it dries, sand the surface and the staining should be gone. Sometimes the iron content in water is sufficient to react with the tannic acid oak to create a stain.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    McKinney, TX
    Posts
    2,063
    Can't help much with the cat stain but one thing I would suggest to prevent other problems is to set the boards on edge so air can circulate all around them or stack them flat and cover with a piece of scrap or plastic. If you just lay them on a table they are almost guarenteed to warp as the humidity changes. It can even happen overnight. Steve
    Steve Jenkins, McKinney, TX. 469 742-9694
    Always use the word "impossible" with extreme caution

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Geneva, Swisscheeseland
    Posts
    1,501
    I can't help much with the stain, but I reccomend a tabby tote to help keep that cat in-line.

    Dan
    Attached Images Attached Images
    A flute without holes, is not a flute. A donut without a hole, is a Danish.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Greenwood, SC
    Posts
    244
    Dan,

    I don't care who you are, that's funny!
    Dave on Lake Greenwood, SC

Similar Threads

  1. Oak stair finishing question?
    By Alan Tolchinsky in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 07-01-2004, 12:21 AM
  2. What does your live oak look like?
    By Jamie Buxton in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 06-09-2004, 10:26 AM
  3. Red vs. White vs. other Oak sp.
    By Chris Padilla in forum General Woodworking and Power Tools
    Replies: 27
    Last Post: 06-08-2004, 8:52 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •