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Tried to strip the paint off my 1920s fireplace mantle with a citrus gel. It turned the wood PINK.
I found this old bottle of 'eco friendly' paint remover in my garage from like 2016. The label said it was safe for antique wood. I slathered it on the detailed carving, waited an hour, and started scraping. Instead of bare oak, the wood underneath had this weird, blotchy pink stain. My husband walked in and said it looked like a candy cane factory exploded. I think the gel reacted with some old shellac or stain underneath the paint. Had to sand for HOURS to fix it. Has anyone else had a vintage wood project go totally sideways with a modern product?
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allen.victor7mo ago
That pink stain is a classic sign of a chemical reaction with tannins in the wood. Old oak has a ton of it. The citrus acid probably pulled it right to the surface.
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uma_patel187mo ago
It's wild how much hidden chemistry is in basic stuff around us. Like how cutting an apple turns it brown or cleaning with vinegar changes things. Makes you see your whole house as a low-key science lab.
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