How to Remove Wood Stain From Concrete? (11 Methods)

To remove wood stain from concrete, wash it off, use sandpaper, a sandblaster, or baking soda. To know the type of wood stain on concrete, wipe the affected spot with methylated spirits or use the light test.

Note: It’s almost impossible to remove it from concrete without affecting its surface a bit.

Does Wood Stain Ruin Concrete?

Wood stain doesn’t ruin concrete as it doesn’t have corrosive ingredients. Concrete is porous, so the wood stain will penetrate and alter its color without damaging it.

Wood stain is created by a mixture of solvent (oil or water), binder, and pigments (color). None of these can damage a concrete surface.

However, removing wood stain from concrete is hard as it penetrates its surface deep. You must use a strong solvent to dissolve it and wipe it off.

It’s almost impossible to remove stain from a concrete surface without taking off some concrete as well. That’s because wood stain penetrates into the surface deeply so you must remove some parts of the concrete if you want to remove the stain. But, the damage is unnoticeable if you remove it correctly.

The concrete surface will be affected whether you choose to sand, strips, scrape, or use solvents to remove wood stain from it. But, if the coating is still fresh, you can wipe it off without damaging the surface.

How To Find The Type of Wood Stain on Concrete?

To find the type of wood stain on concrete, do the following things.

1. Damp a rag with methylated spirits and wipe the affected spot.
2. Try the light test.

Damp a rag with methylated spirits and wipe the affected spot. It’s water-based wood stain if it comes off, and oil-based wood stain or a sealed finish if it doesn’t come off. That’s because methylated is strong enough to remove water-based finishes only.

Try the light test — shine a flashlight directly on the affected spot, if it looks glossy it’s oil-based wood stain, if it looks textured and dull it’s water-based. That’s because oil-based stains have a glossy finish.

How To Remove Wood Stain From Concrete?

To remove wood stain from concrete, do the following things.

1. Wash it Off.
2. Use Sandpaper.
3. Sandblast it.
4. Use Baking Soda.
5. Use Paint Thinner.
6. Use WD-40 (for small spots).
7. Use Mineral Spirits (For Fresh and Wet Stains).
8. Use a Pressure Washer.
9. Apply Acetone.
10. Use Muriatic Acid.
11. Use Vinegar.

1. Wash it Off

If the stain is still wet, wash it off using a soap mixture and floor brush.

The tools you need for this project are listed below.

• Detergent
• A bucket of water
• Floor brush
• A paint scraper

Here is a guide for this method:

1. Use a dampened rag to wipe off the surface and remove as much stain as possible.
2. Mix soap with water.
3. Sprinkle the soap mixture over the stained wood and wait a few minutes.
4. Scrub the affected surface with a floor brush.
5. Rinse the concrete and let it dry.

2. Use Sandpaper

Coarse or medium-grit sandpaper (40/100-grit) can remove wood stain from concrete. The sandpaper will also remove small concrete parts.

The tools you need for this method are listed below.

• Sandpaper of different grits
• A pair of gloves
• Rags
• A bucket of water (optional)

Here is a guide for this method:

1. Clean the concrete surface with a damp rag.
2. Use medium or coarse-grit sandpaper to remove the wood stain.
3. Inspect the surface to see if wood stain is removed.
4. Remove the dust and clean the surface.

3. Use Sandblaster

Sandblaster is a device that propels sand at a high speed to prep the surface before painting or removing existing finishes from the surfaces. You can use a sandblaster to remove wood stains from concrete surfaces.

The tools you need for this method are listed below.

• A sandblaster
• Sandpaper
• Blasting medium or abrasive (sand, aluminum rust, or steel grit)
• A vacuum

Here is a guide for this method:

1. Choose the right blasting nozzle.
2. Turn on the sandblaster and switch it to low pressure.
3. Make sure the nozzle is at least 8 inches away from the surface.
4. Blast the abrasive on the stained concrete.
5. Smoothen the surface with fine sandpaper.
6. Vacuum the dust and clean the surface.

If the wood stain has cured into concrete, you must use stronger solvents to remove it. Solvent-based products will penetrate its coating and dissolve particles. This will liquefy the stain coating and you can wipe it off.

4. Use Baking Soda

Baking soda is a naturally alkaline chemical that removes different types of finishes, including wood stains.

For this method, you’ll need these:

• Baking soda
• Rags
• A paint scraper
• A broom
• Mineral spirits

The tools you need for this method are listed below.

1. Scrape the stained wood using a paint scraper.
2. Sprinkle baking soda and wait for a few minutes.
3. After a few minutes, sweep the baking soda — the wood stain will come off too.
4. Wipe the concrete with mineral spirits and a rag.
5. Allow it to dry.

5. Use Paint Thinner

Paint thinners are liquids that dilute (or thin) paint before application and remove existing finishes from wood.

The tools you need for this project are listed below.

• A paint thinner – Acetone works
• Rags
• A brush

Here is a guide for this method:

1. Damp a rag with paint thinner.
2. Use the dampened rag to wipe the stained surface.
3. Wait a few minutes.
4. Scrub the surface with a scrubbing brush.
5. Rinse the concrete with a clean rag.
6. Allow it to dry.

6. Use WD-40 (For Small Spots)

WD-40 is a cleaning solvent (or liquid) designed to clean different surfaces and remove small paint or wood stains from surfaces.

7. Use Mineral Spirits (For Fresh and Wet Stains)

Mineral spirits is a petroleum-based solvent used to thin oil-based paints and remove fresh and wet finishes from surfaces.

8. Use a Pressure Washer

You can use a pressure washer to remove water-based wood stain spots from different surfaces. However, a pressure washer can’t remove oil-based or sealed wood stain finishes.

9. Apply Acetone

Acetone is a liquid used to thin and remove different paint finishes.

10. Muriatic Acid

You can use muriatic acid to remove wood stains from surfaces, but you must dilute it with 50% water as it can bleach the concrete.

11. Vinegar

You can use vinegar to remove fresh and dried wood stains. To do this, mix vinegar with warm water and apply it over the stained wood. After a few minutes, wash the concrete.