I recently had a small barn built out of cypress. I am happy with the whole project except many pieces of the lumber used, cypress, were marked with a grease pencil “8”, for the size of the boards( The blame was passed onto the lumber supplier). Here’s my problem: I need to remove these 8’s before I stain. I’d like to stain before too long otherwise I’ll wait until Spring(Kentucky). I’ve tried a few basic household cleaners but I think something stronger is needed. I plan on using a water based stain. Will a petroleum-based cleaner like mineral spirits effect the wood negatively when I go to stain with a water-based product? Thanks for any help.
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Replies
Spot sand or scrape.
A wire brush and solvent?
I would try to mechanically remove the marks first. A solvent will remove probably half of the crayon, but some of the dissolved wax will be absorbed into the wood, where it might show up through the stain and could possibly repel a water based finish.
If the wood is planed smooth, I'd use a cabinet scraper to remove the marks. If the wood is rough sawn, then try a wire brush, but the brush may change the look of the surface. I wouldn't use sandpaper, it might just spread the wax around and the heat generated will soften the wax and possibly drive it into the wood. With any of these approaches, you should probably experiment to find out what works best.
If you remove most of the marks, letting the wood weather over the winter may cause the remainder to fade. In fact, doing nothing at all until next spring may be the best approach, the wax will harden and weather off over the winter and the remainder will probably be easier to remove next spring.
John W.
John, thakns for the ideas. It is rough sawn, and you are right. Even a little work with a wire brush or sand paper changes the surface. After experimenting with some extra scrap, I'm thinking of following your last bit of advice. Wait until Spring and see what's left. Thanks for thr response.
Waiting to resolve problems is always the best approach. The longer the better,
In my case, if i wait long enough they end up resolving themselves without any additional intervention on my part.
:-)
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