My husband did not seal our oak door so now it has black spots (mold?) on it that will not wash off? HELP!!?

Question

What can I do to get the black spots (mold) off an unsealed oak front door? My husband tried to say it was not mold, but I think it is. Mildew remover did not work. Please help!

Answer 1

it isn't mold, it is moisture.  You will need to bleach and sand, and once you get the black removed, then re-stain and seal.

Answer 2

Its already been said... its not mold but moisture! This happens when  you pull up the carpet and see where the dog peed.  Same deal. There is no EASY way to fix this unfortunately! You have to dry out and sand down the floor. To be perfectly honest, you may never get the water damage completely gone. Do the best you can... and settle on a darker stain to hide the leftovers. This is one of those bad things about hardwood floors. Its a shame your husband didnt it seal it correctly. (mine would prob do the same thing! hahahaha)

Worst case scenario... get yourself a pretty throw rug. no one will notice! ;-)

Answer 3

Sand paper

Answer 4

Oak will often turn black when it gets wet repeatedly. You'll probably need to use a bleach sold in the paint dept. of Home Depot or Lowe's to get rid of it. I'm pretty sure it isn't mold or mildew though.

Answer 5

could be mold  try a water bleach solution but it may lighten the wood at that spot  so if it does wash entire door down with it  best take it down and put it flat   wash the whole door down  maybe a light sanding depends on how far down the spot goes into the wood fibers   or the tannin in oak is known to interact with iron  have you propped door open with a iron door stop this could also cause spots

Answer 6

David B is most likely right & not mold which mildew remover ( basically chlorine  bleach) should take care of.

Had a shop & stripped lots of oak molding , doors & trim.

When it gets wet it weeps black or even dark blue material from the pores of  the open grain.

The neutralizing acid rinse which kills mold would not touch it.

The door has to dry completely & a light sanding will help.

Might try an oxygen bleach which will not lighten the wood overall & make the stains more visible.( just an educated guess)

Anyhow ,if it is mostly in the grain & sands off the harder portions  you

should be OK.

Would use a good, marine grade varnish rather than polyurethane ( guessing that's what went away)

Best regards