Tried a vinegar wash on some oak and it came out pink

I was working on a 1920s oak table from a house in Tacoma and wanted to try a natural finish. I mixed up some white vinegar with steel wool like I saw online, let it sit for two days, and brushed it on. Instead of the gray tone I expected, the wood turned this light pink color after about an hour. I think the tannins in that specific oak reacted in a way I didn't plan for. Has anyone else had a finish react with a weird color like that, and what did you do to fix it?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_hunt1mo ago

My maple floor did the same weird purple thing once.

richardrodriguez1mo ago

Beth_hunt you just unlocked a memory lol. Maple floors turning purple is such a weirdly specific thing that keeps popping up. It's like one of those random glitches in real life that nobody talks about until someone mentions it. Makes you wonder what other small, strange things happen all the time that we just never compare notes on. The world is full of these little shared mysteries.