Thread: Wet Timber

I have never tried this myself but know of a very old method of waterproofing close grained hardwood.
If you can get the water mark out try using petroleum jelly (Vaseline) as the finish.
Like many other finishes it needs adding to on a regular basis but petroleum jelly is water proof.
A problem could arise if there is damp still in the timber as it wont be able to get out.

vfwfw (how do you pronounce that? )

it sounds like something has been spilt on the desk that is hygroscopic (attracts water). Possibly salt? The only thing I can think of is to remove the desk top and rinse it thoroughly and then let it dry slowly. You'll need to wet both sides equally to prevent cupping. I wouldn't apply any sort of finish to it until you've sorted this problem out as you may just exacerbate it.

Mick

Originally Posted by journeyman Mick

vfwfw (how do you pronounce that? )

it sounds like something has been spilt on the desk that is hygroscopic (attracts water). Possibly salt? The only thing I can think of is to remove the desk top and rinse it thoroughly and then let it dry slowly. You'll need to wet both sides equally to prevent cupping. I wouldn't apply any sort of finish to it until you've sorted this problem out as you may just exacerbate it.

Mick

I think you've hit the nail on the head....I believe that the desk was being used as a workbench by a poolman. I had thought that the watermark could have come from split pool acid or pool salt.
I have removed the desk top and it appears to have soaked right through. Should I try to soak is in water (very difficult finding a big enough container), or maybe sit it under a sprinkler for a few hours.
Someone has suggested I rinse it with vinegar....do you think that may help??

I don't think soaking it is a good idea, might open up a whole new can of worms. Vinegar may help if the stain is alkaline, but you'll need a hell of a lot of it. Imagine it's a big sponge and you need to get a contaminant out, soaking won't do it, but rinsing may. Another possibility, check the ph of the stain. If it's highly acid or alkaline you may be able to use something on it to bring it back closer to neutral.

Mick