How to Remove Water Stains from Wood: ExoShield on Moso Bamboo

By Steve Getsiv, 10/21/20

Water Stains on wood finished with transparent oil or water-based finishes are a common issue for home owners...

Keeping the wood at your household looking fresh and brand new can be difficult, especially when it's outside. The look of beautiful Cedar, Ipe, or Mahogany when finished with a transparent oil-based finish is absolutely exceptional. But this exterior-facing wood has to battle against much more than the occasional spill or that one nephew who never uses a coaster when they come over. No, the wood used for the siding of your house or on your deck faces the weather 365 days a year. That's a tough job! Without proper protection, wear and tear will begin to show up after a while and it is not pretty. The most common problem our customers come to us with is water stains. These pesky blemishes come from exposure to moisture. What happens is that the water will sit on the wood and gradually dissolve extractives and natural tannins - once the water dissolves, the edges of those wet spots show discoloration on the surface. Take a look at this gorgeous siding whose beauty has seriously diminished due to severe water spotting:

Moso Bamboo siding with heavy water stains before the application of ExoShield Walnut

Moso Bamboo wood gate with heavy water stains before the application of ExoShield Walnut

Now those are some tough stains that you aren't going to be able to clean out with a home remedy of mayonnaise and baking soda. This sort of job requires a more innovative product that is going to offer long lasting protection while providing a stunning look!

Moso Bamboo Case Study - ExoShield

The images shown above are from a customer of our friends at Moso Bamboo. They used their wood to build a gate as well as siding for their house and unfortunately they developed these water spots. Moso Bamboo is a wood that is particularly tricky to remove water stains from because of how it is produced, Moso takes the bamboo, shreds it down, and compresses it together to form the wood, making it extremely dense but still porous. There several benefits to this process, such as making the wood very stable and receptive to wood stains; however there are some drawbacks, including increasing the difficulty to resolve water damage. There is a solution to this problem and that's the reason why Moso referred this case to us in the first place: ExoShield.

Why ExoShield Works Better than the Rest

Exoshield is Nova's exterior oil finish that protects and beautifies exterior wood decking, siding, outdoor wood furniture, and fencing. With Marine Grade components and Tung Oil, ExoShield prides itself for containing the highest quality of ingredients, making it the most powerful wood stain on the market. ExoShield is great for getting rid of water stains, water spots, and any other sort of exterior damage while also providing long lasting protection. It contains fungicide to help protect wood from wet weather and penetrates deep into the wood to defend from moisture. ExoShield makes sure that the natural beauty of the wood remains the focus of your hardwood product. The weather won't compromise, why should you?

Here at Nova we are confident that our ExoShield wood stain is the best pairing for Moso Bamboo products on the market, so confident in fact, that when we were presented with this opportunity our founder and CEO Steve Getsiv hopped on the first plane he could down to Southern California to demonstrate ExoShield's superior finishing ability! Check out some of the work he did along with Dave Gorham from Boise Cascade for a customer's siding and gate.

These refinishing tips for water spot removal apply to all of our top selling hardwood species including Red Balau, Batu, Yellow Balau, Manilkara, Angelim Pedra, Ipe and Cumaru.

That same wood siding after some orbital sanding and the application of ExoShield Walnut Stain. Wow!

The gate also turned out fantastic after the application of ExoShield Walnut.

Easier than we Thought!

Initially, Steve and Dave did some orbital and block sanding before applying the ExoShield Walnut stain, however after applying it to a couple sections they realized that it was not necessary to do all that extra work. For most of the job they simply applied the stain directly onto the wood pieces and allowed it time to soak in before wiping it down. ExoShield will remove light water stains and water spots all on its own. The deepest and darkest water stains should still be sanded by hand or with a random orbital electric sander. The job was around 400 square feet and it took Steve and Dave around 5-6 hours to handle the entire job. The process was made simple and easy by ExoShield.

How to Remove Water Stains - The Process

1. Identify and prepare the surfaces that are affected by water stains. Make sure that the surface is clean, dry, and free of dirt, dust, loose wood fibers, and any other material that may contaminate the stain.

2. Shake the ExoShield can for at least one minute prior to opening. Stir material thoroughly and occasionally during application. Make sure to apply when the temperature is above 45 degrees Fahrenheit. We recommend applying ExoShield by using a 3/8" nap microfiber roller.

3. Allow ExoShield to dry for 20 to 30 minutes, then wipe off any excess material with a clean dry cloth.

4. Watch your water stains disappear!

Learn more about ExoShield on our Website!

Removing water stains and water spots has never been simpler. Just check out our ExoShield on our website and let the product (and our happy customers) speak for itself! Get the very best for your exterior wood products with ExoShield.

By Steve Getsiv, 10/21/20

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