
What the Heck is wood bleed anyway?
So What The Heck Is Wood Bleed Anyway? It's caused by the tannins in the wood bleeding through the paint. It's especially common with walnut, red oak, cherry, and mahogany. It's more noticeable when you paint wood in a light color, especially white. It's even more prevalent when you open the pores of the wood after sanding.
What is Bleedthrough in wood?
In simple terms, bleedthrough acts like a stain that shows up on your painted wood. It tends to look orange or red, and it will not go away, no matter how many coats of paint you put over it. In more complicated terms, bleedthrough is caused by tannins in the wood.
What is bleed through in paint?
Bleed through is the biggest pain on lighter colors of paint. If you’re painting with a dark color like black, you might not see it because the dark pigments do well at hiding the bleed through. That doesn’t mean that it’s not there though. Bleed through also shows up in wood knots and places where the old finish has been removed down to bare wood.
Why does paint bleed through Wood Look Orange?
It tends to look orange or red, and it will not go away, no matter how many coats of paint you put over it. In more complicated terms, bleedthrough is caused by tannins in the wood. If the tannins aren’t sealed in, they seep through paint, or worse, they don’t show up until you have topcoated your paint with some waterbased poly.
What is the name of the chemical that is left behind after a wood cut?
What stain block to use on oil based varnish?
Does sugar soap cause bleeding?
Can water based paint cause bleeding?

What does wood bleeding mean?
Colored wood such as cedar and redwood, and in some cases other common softwoods, can show a condition known as "cedar bleed" or "cedar staining." This can appear anytime from shortly after painting to months later. As the name implies, the most commonly seen staining problems involve the various types of cedar woods.
What causes wood bleed?
What causes 'bleeding'? Tannins are the collective name for the acidic chemicals held within the sap of the wood. These are left behind as the water evaporates once the water evaporates after the wood has been cut. The name comes from the leather tanning industry which used oak, and it's bark to tan leather.
How do you stop wood from bleeding?
The quick fix is a sealer so the tannin or stain can't penetrate through. My favorite remedy for bleed through/stains is shellac or shellac based primer. Other stain blockers that also work are oil based primer/paints, spray shellac, polyurethane or even wax.
Why is the wood bleeding through paint?
In more complicated terms, bleedthrough is caused by tannins in the wood. If the tannins aren't sealed in, they seep through paint, or worse, they don't show up until you have topcoated your paint with some waterbased poly.
Is Pine a bleeding wood?
Softwoods like redwood, cedar, and even pine have sap full of pigments (the technical term is “extractives”) that can bleed through primer and paint in a process called “extractive bleeding.” Oil-based primers and paints form a film that can block the water-soluble extractives from leaving the wood.
How do you stop tannins from bleeding?
Seal the stains with an alkyd/oil primer or a coating designed to trap these tannins. Note: Even with proper preparation and recommended products, tannin bleed can still occur, especially on new wood, with either latex or oil topcoats. To wash off the tannin stain, use SuperDeck® Revive® Deck and Siding Brightener.
How do you fix bleeding paint?
Old Paint Color Bleeding Through If you have enough yellow paint for a coat or two more, then purchase paint primer. Add one coat of primer. If the red is still showing through, apply a second coat. Make sure that you let the primer completely dry before adding the paint.
What is tannin bleed?
What is tannin bleed? Tannic acid, or tannins, are natural constituents (often referred to as extractives) present in certain timbers that will bleed through coatings if not properly isolated. The direction and extent of tannin bleed is dependent on grain orientation and is linked to the cell structure of the timber.
Why is yellow coming through white paint?
These chromophores break down when paintwork is regularly exposed to light, either natural or artificial. When the paint doesn't get much light, chromophores remain in the paint coat and cast a light to dark yellow tint across the surface.
What does it mean when paint bleeds?
What Does Bleeding Mean? Bleeding is a kind of paint defect. Bleeding refers to the diffusion or seeping of a soluble dye from the substrate through the top coat color. In general, bleeding causes a spot-like discoloration of the top coat, mostly producing a reddish or yellowish color.
How do I stop wood checking?
Always Seal Cut Ends of Hardwoods This helps minimize end checking from the most vulnerable area on a piece of wood – the end grains. Water moves quickly along the grains of wood. Slowing down the escape of water from the cut ends is crucial to proper installation techniques and affects the performance of the wood.
How do you keep timber from bleeding when painting?
Applying a stain blocking primer is crucial to preventing bleed through when painting. You may want to use B-I-N Zinsser Shellac-Based Primer so that the shellac will hold in the resins and not allow for bleeding to occur.
How do you keep wood from splitting when cutting?
0:332:07Preventing Wood Splitting - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou're going to have to use a drill and drill a very small pilot hole that's less than the diameterMoreYou're going to have to use a drill and drill a very small pilot hole that's less than the diameter of the nail all the way through your piece of lumber.
How do you stop wood knots from bleeding when painting?
0:023:15How to stop knots bleeding through paint - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIt's a simple process just literally paint over the knot with the solution. Nice even strokes. LikeMoreIt's a simple process just literally paint over the knot with the solution. Nice even strokes. Like so it doesn't need to be too thick.
What woods can be bleached?
The best woods for bleaching include oak, beach, ash, and gum. Varieties like poplar and pine are already so light that removing further natural wood color might render them bland and lifeless. Others, like cedar, redwood, rosewood, and cherry don’t take bleach well.
What to wear when bleaching wood?
Always wear rubber gloves and eye goggles when bleaching wood—and, if using oxalic acid ( view example on Amazon ), also don a dust mask. Long sleeves and full-length pants will also help you minimize exposed skin.
How to get shade from bleach?
To get your desired shade, you may go from chlorine to a peroxide-based two-part bleach ( view example on Amazon ). Before moving from one to another, soak a clean rag in a 50-50 white vinegar and water solution. Apply with clean rags, then wipe again with plain water. Let dry thoroughly overnight before the next bleach process.
How to remove stain from wood?
DO know your bleaches. 1 Common laundry bleach or chlorine will effectively remove stain or dye color from wood, but will not affect the wood’s natural color. 2 “Two part” A/B peroxide-based bleaches refer to sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and hydrogen peroxide. Combined, they cause a chemical reaction that creates bleach that will blanch the stain color and can also alter the color of the wood itself. 3 Oxalic acid will remove water and rust stains, plus teak stain, and can be used to lighten the graying effect of weather-exposed wood. Note: Some restorers consider oxalic acid highly toxic, since the crystal form it typically comes in can be inhaled and cause lung bleeding. Many recommend using the A/B bleach for safer practices and greater overall bleaching power.
How to protect yourself from bleaching?
Start with the space: It should be well ventilated by open windows and operational fans, and, ideally, include a work surface that is concrete (the acidic aspect of bleach can damage many other materials). Always wear rubber gloves and eye goggles when bleaching wood—and, if using oxalic acid ( view example on Amazon ), also don a dust mask. Long sleeves and full-length pants will also help you minimize exposed skin.
How to make wood grain smooth?
Sand it with a 120-grit sandpaper then finish it with a 180- or 220-grit paper for a smooth finish.
Can you pour bleach over metal?
DON’T pour bleach into a metal vessel. Bleach can damage metal; glass or ceramic bowls are the best choices to contain bleach as you work it over wood. Photo: istockphoto.com.
What to do if you have a pink bleed on your wood tray?
That's what I had to do with my wood tray to finally get rid of the nasty paint bleed.
What Primer Should I Use To Stop Bleed Through?
These are my go-to stain-blocking primers Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 Primer, KILZ Stain-Blocking Primer, Shellac, and BOSS. I used the latter on my tray.
What color is paint on wood?
It's especially common with walnut, red oak, cherry, and mahogany. It's more noticeable when you paint wood in a light color, especially white. It's even more prevalent when you open the pores of the wood after sanding. I gave the tray a light sanding with 150-grit sandpaper to give the paint some bite, as suggested in my how-to prep furniture ...
Where does bleed through show up?
Bleed through also shows up in wood knots and places where the old finish has been removed down to bare wood.
Can I use General Finishes stain blocker indoors?
I started to use General Finishes Stain Blocking Primer when I had to paint inside for the winter. It still has a smell, but the smell is way less potent than shellac, so I feel way more safe using it indoors. I still wear my respirator with it though, just to be safe. It works really well to block bleed through in wood, but it only comes in white.
What is the name of the chemical that is left behind after a wood cut?
Tannins. Tannins are the collective name for the acidic chemicals held within the sap of the wood. These are left behind as the water evaporates once the water evaporates after the wood has been cut. The name comes from the leather tanning industry which used oak, and it's bark to tan leather.
What stain block to use on oil based varnish?
If the item has an oil-based varnish or paint, use Zinnser 123 Stain block. Follow the directions on the product.
Does sugar soap cause bleeding?
You'll find that even after cleaning well with sugar-soap, in certain cases bleeding may still occur, since you have only managed to clean off the first few mm of the wood, but tannins occur throughout the wood, so bleeding may present itself at a later stage. 2. Oil, polishes, stains.
Can water based paint cause bleeding?
It is also known that bleeding occurs mainly within older pieces that are repainted with water based products. In some cases the bleeding only appears after sealing or waxing.
