Hey everyone! I've run into a bit of a problem with my recent home project. I asked my contractors to stain some pine tongue and groove boards with an early american stain and told them to use just one coat to avoid it being too dark. Unfortunately, they didn't quite follow the instructions and now the stain is darker than I wanted.
Is there a product out there that can help lighten these wood boards? I've considered sanding them down, but with so many boards, that would take forever. Would I be better off just replacing them altogether? Any advice would be appreciated!
3 Answers
If they didn’t seal the stain with any finish, you could try using acetone to rub off some of it. Just a heads-up though, you’ll want to be really careful with the stuff since it’s pretty strong and you'll want good ventilation while using it!
Sorry to say this, but sanding is likely your best bet. You’ll need to sand off the stain you want to get rid of and then reapply a lighter one if you're going that route. If you're feeling adventurous, you could also leave it bare and just use a clear coat. There really isn’t a magic product to lighten it after the fact!
You might find it tough to lighten up that stain since you generally can't really remove color from wood. It sounds like your contractors dropped the ball here, so if they need to replace the boards, that’s on them. They should have really listened to your instructions.