Scratched and stained wooden countertop?

Question

I really stupidly left a wet steel can sitting on the wooden countertop last night and I woke up this morning to find that it has left a dark semi circular stain. I scrubbed the stain to see if I could remove any of it, but all I've really done is make things worse. The small area I scrubbed now appears white compared to the rest of the surface because I've clearly removed the finish.

Does anyone have any advice on how to treat this? I've read some information about using mineral oil, but I want to know whether I would have to sand the whole surface and then oil it, or whether I can just oil this small patch and make it blend back in with the rest of the surface.

Any advice would be gratefully received. I'm really stressing out about it because I'm just renting here, and my flatmate, who owns the place is coming back on Sunday. I feel terrible for having ruined the countertop.

Answer 1

You've done it now.You'll have to take off the rest of the finish, try to bleach out the stain, and then refinish the whole thing again to ensure proper color match.

Answer 2

If the white blemish is kind of hazy looking, all youve got is a little moisture trapped inside the finish.

BEFORE you try stripping or sanding, try this little trick...use a hair dryer.
Set the dryer to the low heat setting, and gently direct the warm air back and forth over the blemish. The idea is that you want to get it warm enough to help that trapped moisture evaporate out of the finish, but you don't want to leave it blowing in one spot to "hurry it up", because that will actually result in more moisture being pulled up from the wood, hehehe. Use it for about 10 to 15 minutes maximum - you don't want it to get so hot it damages the finish, see how it looks, let it set for awhile and repeat, if necessary.

Im a woodworker since my teens (LONG time ago, lol) both as a hobby and professional, and Ive used this technique on several pieces, quite successfully. Try the hair dryer first.

IF that doesnt work, then we'd need to know a bit more about the piece to advise how to properly strip and refinish it... youve not given us enough info on that... many will suggest first thing that you sand it down, but quite often that isnt necessary. And I'd check with the flatmate before doing anything that drastic....if you're not a woodworker, you could easily do more damage, instead of correct the problem.

Good Luck

Answer 3

Okay. First, take a deep breath and ease up on yourself. The countertop isn't ruined, it just has a white spot on it.

If it was me, I'd wait until Sunday, 'fess up and sincerely apologize, and ask flatmate what they want to do. They might be upset and want you to fix the problem. Or they might say "Aww, don't worry about it. I was planning to replace the old wood counters anyway." Either way you've demonstrated that you're sorry for the problem and are willing to make it right.
If you charge off and try to fix the problem without involving the owner, you may make it worse and then they'd likely be really cross.