Repairing damaged finish

[goaliedad]

My cousin’s daughter used “Amish wood milk” to clean an antique oak coffee table.
The stuff turned the wood gray. A quick google says Wiid Milk is vegetable oil and vinegar. Another Google tells me distilled vinegar will stain oak gray.
I suspect the table did not have a substantial finish, allowing the vinegar to react with the wood.

So….. how to restore the typical antique look to the table?
I am thinking oxialic acid to reduce the gray, then golden oak stain and some sort of top coat. Arm-R-Seal?

[jteneyck]

My cousin’s daughter used “Amish wood milk” to clean an antique oak coffee table.
The stuff turned the wood gray. A quick google says Wiid Milk is vegetable oil and vinegar.  Another Google tells me distilled vinegar will stain oak gray.
I suspect the table did not have a substantial finish, allowing the vinegar to react with the wood.

So….. how to restore the typical antique look to the table?
I am thinking oxialic acid to reduce the gray, then golden oak stain and some sort of top coat. Arm-R-Seal?

If only the top was damaged, and it's not veneer, I might be inclined to sand it back to clean wood and apply a new finish.  If the whole table has been "cleaned" then I think you will first have to strip off whatever finish is still on it, then bleach it, then refinish it.  The vinegar reacted with the tannic acid in the oak and gave it that gray color.  

Oxalic acid to remove the stain is a good place to start, but I would reproduce the problem on some scrap to experiment on before deciding the best approach.  If OA doesn't work, then Deck cleaner might, or maybe plain old bleach, or maybe it will need two part wood bleach.  No way of really knowing w/o trying it so best to do that on scrap.  Good luck.  

And tell the cousin's daughter she needs nothing more than a soft cloth with warm water and a little liquid dish soap in it to clean furniture.  

Good luck. 

John

[goaliedad]

Thank you very much for replying! I will do a test piece. I have not seen the table, so not sure if it is solid or veneer. Good advice