# Accidentally dyed floor purple! Help!



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)

Hi y'all, I'm new to this site and forums in general. I've accidentally dyed my whole floor purple, I had it sanded professionally then I applied a steel wool and vinegar stain to the wood hoping for a light grey. I didn't test patch, I didn't water down, I should have, we all make mistakes, what's done is done, any ideas on how to fix it? It's Tassie oak or Vic ash (Australian hardwood). I would still like the result to be not too dark, am thinking of going over it with a mix polyurethane tinted with Jarrah and golden oak because those tones would help counteract the purple.. I was hoping for some kind of (hopefully natural) water based solution.. Any ideas? Thanks in advance - Cathie


----------



## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)




----------



## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

What you have is an iron stain, oxcylic acid AKA deck brighter should kill it and get you back to raw wood, http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=wood%20bleach%20oxalic&typeahead=wood%20bleach

you will probably need to do a light sand with some 180 or 220 after it dries to remove some raised fiber, but its quick and easy, just give it a good hand sanding with the grain .

When your done bleaching wipe it down with a solution of 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 1 qt of water to neutralize the bleach .


----------



## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Experiment on scraps until you get the look you want. Then do the floor.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Cathie
You lucked out with the first answer from Charles Neil, he is a finishing expert of many years experience and has taught classes and written books on the subject of finishing.


----------



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)

Thanks guys, Charles, I shall have a look round to see if I can find a simular product available in australia. Your input is much appreciated gentlmen. Thank you!


----------



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)

Charles, are you able to please tell me if this product would suffice? https://www.bunnings.com.au/intergrain-4l-reviva-timber-cleaner_p1563243
It's available at my local hardware store.


----------



## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

Cathie,

Looks like it should do the trick,


----------



## Sawdust2012 (Sep 17, 2013)

Paint the walls a complimentary color, or get a gold couch and rent to an LSU fan. Just make sure you get a deposit.


----------



## HerbC (Jul 28, 2010)

> Paint the walls a complimentary color, or get a gold couch and rent to an LSU fan. Just make sure you get a deposit.
> 
> - Sawdust2012


Probably not too many LSU fans in Australia.

Herb


----------



## BigTreeBC (Jun 21, 2016)

I've played around a bit with the steel wool and vinegar solution and the colour you get seems to depend partly on how long you let it sit ( how much metal you dissolve into the solution) and what the wood wants to do. As mentioned it's all about testing on scrap first to see what the colour comes out as.

I've stained directly over the mix before with good results but you can't go lighter.

I don't mind the current look.


----------



## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

Keep us posted, will be out of the loop for a week or so, but then we can talk about achieving "grey" or is it Gray.

In either case its hard to achieve, a photo of what your looking to achieve would help alot .


----------



## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> Keep us posted, will be out of the loop for a week or so, but then we can talk about achieving "grey" or is it Gray.
> 
> In either case its hard to achieve, a photo of what your looking to achieve would help alot .
> 
> - CharlesNeil


I looked up "grey and Gray…....They have the same definition.


----------



## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Protect your lungs when sanding. Oxalic acid is nasty stuff.



> What you have is an iron stain, oxcylic acid AKA deck brighter should kill it and get you back to raw wood, http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=wood%20bleach%20oxalic&typeahead=wood%20bleach
> 
> you will probably need to do a light sand with some 180 or 220 after it dries to remove some raised fiber, but its quick and easy, just give it a good hand sanding with the grain .
> 
> ...


----------



## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

Purple is good!


----------



## splatman (Jul 27, 2014)

Just call it Purpleheart.


----------



## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

> Paint the walls a complimentary color, or get a gold couch and rent to an LSU fan. Just make sure you get a deposit.
> 
> - Sawdust2012
> 
> ...


I'll rent it when I visit


----------



## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

> Just call it Purpleheart.
> 
> - splatman


Best answer! Ding ding ding! Just think how impressed your wood working buds would be when they came to visit and you could convince them you dropped that kind of moolah on the floor boards!


----------



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)

Thanks so much for all your input guys! This is what I was going for initially but now I'll pretty much be stoked with anything that's not purple.. I would prefer not to go too dark though.. Might go out there with the bleach today and see how that goes.


----------



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)

I wouldn't mind a finish like this..


----------



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)

Went out there with the wood bleach today and scrubbed the whole house, it worked! Charles, thank you so much! You've saved me so much money and a world of humiliation! What an awesome product!


----------



## SuperCubber (Feb 23, 2012)

Holy cow! What a difference!


----------



## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

That's incredible, great job Cathie and thanks for the friendly advice Charles Neil!


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

That's great looks super.


----------



## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

Lets talk about the Grey, I looked to see what was available in Australia, all I found is this https://www.bunnings.com.au/cabot-s-4l-deck-exterior-beach-house-grey-water-based-timber-stain_p1520191

Not sure it would do what you want, as stated previous, grey is hard to achieve, the best I have Found is dyes from WD Lockwood out of Brooklyn NY. It comes in a powder form and is mixed with water , so perhaps shipping wouldnt be too bad. They have 3 , Reactive Gray, Pearl Gray and Silver Gray, I like the Pearl , but if you can I would get all 3 in a 1 oz packet and do a test. If you can find a color that you like then we can talk about application. Dyes dry fast and are a bit different from applying a stain. You probably dont want a stain/ finish combination, these rarely perform well.

Your going to need to call Lockwood, because I dont think the grays are part of the regular colors , good luck and keep us posted http://www.wdlockwood.com/


----------



## Racer2007 (Jan 13, 2011)

> That s incredible, great job Cathie and thanks for the friendly advice Charles Neil!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow what a difference is right . And the advice you got on fixing it was from the Master of Finishing . That is one Fix I am going to put in my little bag of Tricks for when I need it.


----------



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)

Hey guys, sorry for the delayed response, it's school holidays here! I'm going out tomorrow to put on the first coat of polyurethane. 
I had a look at the grey you suggested Neil, great product, after the purple incident though i'm feeling a bit hesitant about taking risks. 
I found a water based polyurethane and the guy at the shop gave me enough water based tint on the side to do 10 liters! What a legend! The colour I got is called Indian tea, it's a cabots product. I'll add it in small amounts to the 10 liters of polyurethane and 
do lots of test patches! Thanks for your help. I'll let you know how I go. I'm feeling good about this.


----------



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)

Went out there today to get started coating the floor but ended up prepping instead. Got to see the floor for the first time since we washed it with the wood bleach stuff and left it to dry. It looks amazing! I'm still going to lightly tiny the first coat of polyurethane because being an old stained floor and everything it's been through the last week it needs something to even it out. The result now after removing the purple is beautiful, it's left some stunning black highlights around the nails and in the gaps. I love it!


----------



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)




----------



## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

Actually , if you want to get rid of the black around the nails, take the Deck Brightener and put on them , I'm surprised it didn't kill them from the first application, it must not be a strong concentration of oxcylic acid, . you could perhaps use a qtip to concentrate on just the nails.

the black is an iron stain from the nail reacting with the wood, that is exactly what you created with the vinegar and steel wool.


----------



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)

I love the black! I think it looks great!


----------



## GR8HUNTER (Jun 13, 2016)

looks better then barney


----------



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)

I tinted the polyurethane myself with yellow, red and lots of black (I'm sure they aren't the technical names for those tints) and am super happy with the result!


----------



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)




----------



## Cathie (Jul 3, 2016)

Still can't figure out how to rotate the photo!


----------



## SuperCubber (Feb 23, 2012)

If taken with an iPhone/iPad:
1. Take your photo.
2. Open the Photos App to view your photo.
3. Click "Edit" and crop it ever so slightly.
4. Save the photo.
5. Post the photo to LumberJocks.

If you have another mobile device, the same process may work, but I can't confirm that. Otherwise, put them on a computer first, and that will solve your problem.


----------



## SuperCubber (Feb 23, 2012)

The floor looks great!


----------



## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

Well done, looks great


----------

