Spilled grease on wood, can I paint over it?

[Bert McMahan]

I have a shop cabinet (poplar, if it matters) that had a grease gun sitting on top of it in storage. Unfortunately the grease gun leaked and left a huge streak down the door and side.

Can I paint this thing somehow? I can't imagine I'll be able to clean all the grease that soaked into the wood. There's nothing on the surface right now but it definitely soaked in, as the wood was unfinished. If I clean it as best as I can, is there a primer that'll stick to this, or am I doomed to leave it unpainted?

[Jim Becker]

Clean it as nest as you can with TSP and then do a barrier coat of wax free shellac or a shellac based primer.

[Bert McMahan]

Unfortunately my BORG was out of shellac primer, but they had some oil based stuff. Think that'd work?

[Michael Schuch]

TSP does a nice job on grease. I have also covered wood with a wet rag then put an iron on top if it for a few seconds. The steam heats the grease making it liquid and opens the grain of the wood then the rag absorbs the grease. I figured this out by accident once when I was steaming out a nick in a wood stock using this procedure and the cosomoline in the wood came with it. This will raise the grain so you will have to sand a bit.

[Clark Hussey]

Check out Amazon for wax free shellac. It has been the only place, I have been able to find it.

[roger wiegand]

Shellac.net is my go-to source for shellac. Many colors and grades, dewaxed or not, all appear to be in stock.

They also sell shellac reducer (AKA denatured alcohol) in California, something that has been a repeated item of concern here with the bans on various solvents.

[Frank Pratt]

TSP does a nice job on grease. I have also covered wood with a wet rag then put an iron on top if it for a few seconds. The steam heats the grease making it liquid and opens the grain of the wood then the rag absorbs the grease. I figured this out by accident once when I was steaming out a nick in a wood stock using this procedure and the cosomoline in the wood came with it. This will raise the grain so you will have to sand a bit.

That's interesting and something I'd not have thought would work. I'll try it next time I have to get a spot of grease out.

[Jim Becker]

Interesting technique, Michael, especially for unfinished wood.

TSP is "the thing" that is commonly used to degrease cabinets prior to refinishing, which is why I suggested it.

[Michael Schuch]

Interesting technique, Michael, especially for unfinished wood.

TSP is "the thing" that is commonly used to degrease cabinets prior to refinishing, which is why I suggested it.

I am a big fan of TSP. A teaspoon in the laundry does wonders on dirty, greasy, grimy shop clothes.

[Brian Tymchak]

TSP is "the thing" that is commonly used to degrease cabinets prior to refinishing, which is why I suggested it.

Jim, can TSP be used just as a cleaner without marring the existing finish? I'd like to clean our kitchen cabinets, but have been a little hesitant about what to use.

[Jim Becker]

Jim, can TSP be used just as a cleaner without marring the existing finish? I'd like to clean our kitchen cabinets, but have been a little hesitant about what to use.

It didn't mar the kitchen cabinets at our old placed finished with Target Coatings products when it was time to do a refresh a few years ago...most places I only needed to do one go through but in the areas surrounding the range, I did like three just to be sure all grease was gone. Read the instructions carefully on the package to make sure the mixture is appropriate for the task.