Cat stain on red oak- advice?

[Charlie Schultz]

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- :mad:. 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.

[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!!

[Michael Ballent]

Agreed shoot the cat :D or at least donate it to the some retirement home ;). Not sure about how to correct it.

[Betsy Yocum]

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??? :D

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.

[Lee Schierer]

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.

[Steve Jenkins]

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

[Dan Mages]

I can't help much with the stain, but I reccomend a tabby tote to help keep that cat in-line.

:rolleyes: Dan

[Dave Brandt]

Dan,

I don't care who you are, that's funny!