How do I get a "white" burn stain out of a dark wood table?

Question

I set a hot dish on my dinner table and it left a large white "stain". Any ideas on how to remove it. Buffing and furniture polish doesn't work.

Answer 1

It is water trapped under (in) the finish. Place a tea towel over the spot and run your iron over it several times.

Answer 2

I'm a wood worker going on 11 years now and the best way I've found to introduce any stain is to sand off the existing stain. This requires some work,but you can minimize the duration of time you spend by using an electric sander. If you haven't much experience with sanders go with a random orbital sander. Using a belt sander eats alot of wood in a big hurry and you can easily ruin a piece by creating steps in the surface without having some time spent on a belt sander. Stain, because it is a thin substance absorbs deep into the grain. This is the place you want to be if you intend to apply a lighter stain however. Start sanding with a course grit like 80-40 grit paper and when you reach the depth where stain no longer exists, switch to a finer grit of paper, like 100-150, then move to an even finer grit; 220- 400. Once you do that use an even finer grit on the end grain, this will give you consistent results in color with the surface color. Stain comes in different forms; paste,liquid. If using the liquid stain be sure to use a wood conditioner before applying the stain. This will allow the stain to penetrate more evenly, rather than soaking into the softer grain and lying on the harder grain. After this you can apply a clear coat. I like to apply three to five coats sanding between coats with a super fine grit to achieve a smooth finished surface. If you decide to just paint the surface, sanding it to the desired smoothness is sufficient enough to apply primer following up with a finish coat of paint. I'm also a painter by profession for 12 years now. Again sand with a fine grit between coats; 220 or higher. Hope this helps!!!

Answer 3

You can buy a stain pen - looks like a magic marker - at a home improvement store. Let it set for about 10 seconds & wipe w/a paper towel. Repeat if necessary.

Answer 4

Buy the stuff on this link, follow the directions and you will no longer have the mark there. http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=5207
I have used this stuff and it works great. Here is another source for the same stuff. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=6517

Answer 5

cover it with a dark brown sharpie