| The most common and, perhaps, annoying | | | | job yourself. |
| damage to your precious hardwood floor are | | | | The first thing you should do to get rid of stain is |
| stains. Be they ink stains, water stains, or | | | | to come up with an oxalic acid crystal solution, |
| whatever, the fact that that particular stain was | | | | which will be dabbed onto the stained area. Oxalic |
| caused by someone's negligence and not because | | | | acid acts as a bleaching agent and can get rid of |
| of normal, time-driven wear makes us feel a little | | | | minor stains. If the stain is not bleached out the |
| cross. This is because stains are very evident | | | | first time, you can repeat the procedure for |
| and, for serious cases, may force us to replace | | | | several times more until the stain is gone. Make |
| the entire wood board altogether. | | | | sure you wear protective gloves, though, as the |
| But when you see a stain on your hardwood | | | | oxalic acid might be too harsh for your skin. |
| flooring, you shouldn't panic just yet. It could be a | | | | After you apply oxalic acid, you should return |
| damage that can be addressed by minor repair | | | | your floor to its usual acidity rinsing it with vinegar. |
| methods and without having to call in and pay for | | | | The one you find in your kitchen will do. Of |
| professional help. There are certain hardwood | | | | course, you will need to wipe the area dry of |
| floor stains that you can repair yourself. | | | | excess moisture and allow it completely dry first |
| For instance, if there is a huge water mark on | | | | before you leave it alone. The result should be |
| your floor, you might be tempted to replace the | | | | bleached but stain-less finish. |
| entire plank to get rid of it. This is not always the | | | | Finally, choose an oil-based stain you can apply to |
| remedy. You should first try if it's a problem that | | | | the bleached surface to get the original look of |
| can be remedied by sanding and refinishing the | | | | your hardwood floor. You may do a number of |
| affected spot. | | | | applications before you get your desired shade. |
| Taking care of a small spot yourself will not be a | | | | However, before you decide on which stain shade |
| nuisance, compared to changing the entire surface. | | | | to buy, make sure first that it is compatible with |
| However, if the stain is really not manageable, | | | | the rest of the floor's color and the kind of wood |
| you may still attempt at doing the replacement | | | | your floor is made of. |