Spots on Ash appear after stain

[robertsuggs]

I just applied stain to my ash toppers for a farmhouse bed and noticed a lot of spots in the wood. There was nothing wrong with the application as my other pieces turned out fine. But this thick piece has spots all over it. Any idea what it is and how I can fix it?

 

[Endless Pursuit]

Weird stuff.

The pattern is opposite of a contamination issue. In the photo, the spots appear slightly darker than the surrounding material. Is that correct?

 

[robertsuggs]

That's right, they are noticeable darker. I just haven't found anywhere that addresses spotting like this. It seems much different than the blotching everyone talks about, but ash shouldn't really do that so I am at a loss...

 

[scsmith42]

Looks like the board was spattered with something at some time in the past that affected absorption. Can you turn it over and restain?


Scott

 

[Jeff]

It could be mineral salts from inadvertent water overspray at some point before the stain was applied. Those would probably not show up on the light wood so everything looked good until the stain was applied.

That singular piece is an outrigger. What does the opposite face look like?

 

[robertsuggs]

Haven't tried to stain the opposite side yet...don't really need to because it will be hidden, but I will likely plane it down and flip it over to test. It is highly unlikely anything was spattered on the wood. I milled it down from 8/4 stock. If something was on it before milling it would have had to go deep to get to this thickness.

 

[Endless Pursuit]

Have you recently applied any type of surface treatment to your equipment? I put some PTFE "protectant" on my table saw a few years back and apparently didn't do a good enough job of buffing it off. I used a water-based dye on some of the first pieces off the machine and they had a splotchy look. Opposite of yours, light spots, on a darker background.

 

[Gofor]

Had something similar happen to me when I applied some insect repellent from a pump-type bottle too near my work. The darker spots may be from an acidic or alkaline contamination that just lightly "etched" the wood surface, making it a bit more absorbent. Looks to be fairly uniform over that entire board surface though.

Go

 

[SubGuy]

I think I recognize that. Looks just like some sort of mold growth I have experienced in my shop. How long did it sit between sanding and stain? How does the grain feel compared to normal board? And on the chance that I am wrong, I would then go with water splash or some other liquid.

 

[robertsuggs]

Thanks for the reply. It sat probably 4-6 hours after sanding and before staining. Grain felt fine. I do have a 2 year old, so something splashed on them can't be ruled out...

 

[SubGuy]

Then I think you have your answer.