Bleaching Wood

[Ed Gibbons]

I am refinishing an old maple chair. Most of the finish came off but there are some brown blotchy spots remaining. Prior to staining, I thought I would bleach out the surface. Thoughts and recommendations would be appreciated. Also, what would be the best bleaching agent to use?
Thanks.

[Chapel Eastland]

Try oxalic acid. Available on Amazon and Home Depot. Very lightly sand the chair with 120 grit. That's to break up the surface just enough to let the OA have a better chance at removing the spots (of course, depending on what made the spots).

Use a strong solution. About 1/3 cup into 1.5 cups of very hot water. Paint it on and leave it for several hours or overnight. Then wash away the OA with water. Not the hose, but a sponge, and keep cleaning the sponge between wipes. Let it dry.

It it doesn't remove it all, try another application.

Sometimes the best you can do is lighten the spots, but OA is the safest product and usually gets splendid results.

[Wayne Lomman]

Being an old chair, is bleaching the best option? The risk is overly pale blotches instead of dark ones and not necessarily in the same places. Cheers