HOW TO REMOVE WATER STAINS ON WOOD

Removing water stains from wood can be a little tricky, but it is by no means impossible. Water stains on wood will have a different appearance depending on how deep they are, and the finish of the wood they have damaged. White marks mean the water has only affected the surface or finish of the wood – these are easier to remove than dark water stains.

For surface water stains, the following method is appropriate:

Apply olive oil or an oil-based furniture polish directly on to the stain, and leave it to soak in overnight.
If the mark remains, try vigorously rubbing white toothpaste into the stain.
Wipe the surface clean and re-treat if necessary.
To finish, apply an oil or wax-based furniture polish.

To deal with darker stains, you will need to strip back the surface of the wood with sandpaper and allow it to completely dry out, before tackling the colour of the stain:

To make the stain lighter, very carefully apply a weak bleach solution, following the safety instructions on the label.
To make the stain darker, apply an appropriate wood stain, once again according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Then, match the finish to the rest of the wood using varnish or furniture wax.