# Price Sticker Residue



## KenBee (Mar 9, 2011)

I am working with some walnut and the store I bought it from in their infinite stupidity use price stickers that are difficult to remove and once removed leave a dark sticky residue on the wood. Is there a safe way to remove the stickers and residue that will not change the wood characteristics or color before or after finishing? I understand sanding is an option, but would rather use some type of cleaning agent if possible to prevent gumming up the sandpaper and possibly seating the glue in the wood pores in the case of oak and other woods with an open grain.

Thanks for any info,

Ken


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

Sorry, I have not heard of any such thing yet!!

I usually just sand it off.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

I have used lacquer thinner to get this off red oak and maple. Didn't seem to mess anything up. Just be sure to test a scrap first and let it dry completely.


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## ellen35 (Jan 1, 2009)

I has those nasty stickers on some oak.. I also had some alcohol pads - the kind you see in a doctor's office- tried it and it worked pretty well. You might try it to see if it works on yours.


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

I thought I was the only person in the world that had this problem. 
Sometimes mineral spirits will do it. Like Ellen said, alcohol. Lacquer thinner and some of them only responds to sanding. I have at times used a heat gun and scrapped them off.
Good luck and if you find something that really works, let us know.


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## zonkers (Aug 18, 2010)

Available at auto parts stores is a product called "wax & grease remover." It is sold under numerious brands. It usually comes in quart & gallon cans. It is used in the auto body industry to remove contaminants that would cause top coat systems to fail. It works well on tape glue. It's much less caustic than thinner and it will not raise grain. It removes just about anything that would cause any wood finish to fail.


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## KenBee (Mar 9, 2011)

Thanks for the input folks.

I tried the alcohol route and it didn't work on my walnut. I suspect there is a variety of different glues used on the stickers and thereby what works with one will not work with another. I will try other methods put forth and let y'all know what I found works best on the several different varieties of wood I have with the stickers on them.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

I'll tell you one product that WILL work…...lighter fluid….Leave the sticky labels on the wood, let it soak in for a few seconds or a minute, and take a rag or paper towel and just wipe it off….It completely removes sticky labels, tar, grease, and it will not hurt the wood one bit, or discolor it in any way. Once dry, you can work the wood any way you need to. I've did this for years, and satifaction is guarenteed…..I use RONSONOL.
It's in a yellow plastic bottle…..It's been used in my Zippo cigarette lighter for 50 years…..All you'll ever need is the lighter fluid…...trust me…....lol.


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## pierce85 (May 21, 2011)

I use a small strip of clear packing tape to remove sticker residue. You firmly stick the tape to the residue and slowly pull the tape off. It usually takes me at least half a dozen or more applications before it's all removed but it does work and leaves nothing behind. Just make sure you use a new strip (or a clean area of the tape) with each application.


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

Goof off and (as said above) lighter fluid are my usual choices. They are both aromatic solvents that have some "hang time" but will flash off and out of the wood without leaving oils in the grain.

Acetone and lacquer thinner are "gone" before the work is done. Oops, mineral spirits, and others work well, but are are pretty oily and IMO would require me to immediately go over the spot with acetone or lacquer thinner to clean up the cleaner from the wood after the sticker is gone.

Sanding is the fastest, but sometimes that is not appropriate.

When I choose my lumber, I look for damage, knots, crown, bow, and where the sticker is located in my selection process.


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## RobWoodCutter (Jul 22, 2009)

Thus far most of the wood I had been getting the past couple of years was all rough cut, so no stickers to worry about. Last week I picked up some boards (Bocote,Cocobolo,Wenge,Bloodwood,Yellowheart,Bubinga) from WC when they had the 15% off sale. They put two stickers on every board. One with the price and one with the BF and Price/BF. I don't like to sand, from the days I used to buy pine from the Borgs. Sanding seemed to push the glue into the wood grain. So I used a Card Scraper sharpened with a light edge to take the residue off, figuring I would ultimately be using one for he finishing stage anyway. Worked for me. Rob


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

+1 for Goof Off!


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

Great question and some great answers as well : )


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

I just use a Kobalt 3" paint scraper (Lowes). Comes off clean that way. What's left, if anything, quickly disappears with sand paper.

BTW, I think any discoloration is occuring because the wood under the sticker is NOT exposed to UV light and dirt. Once the entire board is sanded, the color difference goes away, in my experience.


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## KenBee (Mar 9, 2011)

Thanks for all the responses to my question and the various ways to remove the stickers and residue. I do keep a can of Goof-Off on hand to clean my tools and such, but had never considered it for cleaning wood.

CessnaPilotBarry…Granted I probably do pay too much for my wood, but when you have a small shop such as mine without the proper tools I have to make do with what I can to accomplish the end result of my projects.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

You have stumbled upon a topic that has infuriated me since I first became a consumer. I am known to blackball companies that slather stickers. Goo Gone and a lot of profanity in my shop.


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## therookie (Aug 29, 2010)

mineral spirits works really well on all of the things that I have run into.


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## Greedo (Apr 18, 2010)

i wish they used stickers in my lumberyard, instead they use spray cans or worse, they staple the tag on. i oftenly find staples on some boards with no tag. so i need to look out for them. last time i changed my planer knives for freshly sharpened ones, i planed 2 pieces of wood and missed the staples on the 3rd one ruining my planer knives edge.


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## racerglen (Oct 15, 2010)

Citra solve..
Smells GOOD, well not too much eh, cleans without residue, available thru Lee Valley and natural product stores.. Goo Gone hasn;t worked that well for me..
Maybe my stickers are past their best before dates ??

;-}


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## auggy53 (Jan 23, 2011)

i use acetate then lightly sand


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## bilbaggins (Sep 11, 2011)

Mineral Turps-common garden variety-usually works for me.

Wipe it on liberally just where the offending mark is, allow to stand for a few minutes to get the glue to soften.

Then dab off gently (just enuff pressure to soak up the solution) with clean kitchen paper wipe or tissues. You may have to repeat this a couple of times.

Finally a wipe over with solvent or mineral spirits helps clear up the remaining turps/glue residue.

On occasion a final wash with detergent in warm water may be needed… whew! Hard work eh?

good luck


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## miles125 (Jun 8, 2007)

Hey it's better than the genius who decided metal staples would be good for attaching to the wood.


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

Acetone or mineral spirits. Both work great. I'd not buy a special solvent for the purpose. You probably have either of those two already in your shop.

Also, these work great for removing as much of the stickers as possible while leaving very little residue.


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## maljr1980 (Sep 4, 2011)

mineral spirits, lacquer thinner, acetone will all work


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