The only effective way to lighten the color of wood after it has been stripped of all surface coatings is to use a wood bleach. Sanding does help to lighten wood in many cases, but this only applies to surface soil or grime, and even then only if the discoloration has not penetrated very deeply.
I've found a mixture of 50:50 vinegar to water does the job. When neutralizing oxalic acid, you can use household baking soda mixed with water. Lightly sand after bleaching and neutralizing the wood.
Steel wool and mineral spirits can lighten your wood stain by a small amount if you don't need to adjust the color much. Otherwise, if you have stain in the can that's too dark, you can dilute it to change the color before applying it.
Using a natural solution like vinegar can also lighten dark stained wood. If you want to know how to make dark stained wood lighter with this solution, you must first soak the entire surface with vinegar. Then, let it sit for a day or 24 hours, to allow the solution to work its magic.
Lay a brightly patterned runner across a wood dresser or table. Opt for bold bedding or wall art in a bedroom outfitted with wood furniture. Table lamps, vases, and planters in a rainbow of colors can also help cheer up dark wood furniture.
PolyShades stain and polyurethane also allows you to easily change the color of your currently stained or varnished wood without stripping. Over old varnish you can change the color without removing the old finish or hiding the grain.
To lighten already-applied wood stain, first try turpentine, mineral spirits or household bleach. Apply firmly and evenly along the grain.
One of the simplest ways to age wood quickly is to apply a paste of baking soda and water, let it dry in the sun, and scrub and wipe it away. Aging wood with baking soda leaches the dark tannins away, resulting in a partially bleached, weatherworn look, similar to a barn or driftwood.
As you already know, bleach isn't just for cleaning, it can also work as a lightening agent, which is often used for hair. But it can also be used to lighten the color of the wood in floors, furniture, and siding. Bleached wood is often used because it has a light, vintage, beachy, shabby chic, farmhouse look.
Wood Brightener does 3 things for your deck: It neutralizes any remaining stain stripper or wood cleaner. It restores and brightens wood to its natural, bare state. It opens the pores of the wood.
Apply the solution by means of a sponge or a paintbrush, before wiping it away with a clean cloth. Though relatively potent, mineral spirits do not cause any damage to clear wood finishes and are therefore at least worth experimenting with.
While you might expect it to do nothing or just leave a small stain, rubbing alcohol acts as a solvent when it comes into contact with wood and wood finishes. To understand how big of a problem this is, you need to know what a solvent does. Solvents are designed to liquify wood finishes, including varnishes and stains.
When working with wood, mineral spirits can be used to clean stain and finishes off brushes, clean the wood before finishing, temporarily changing the color of the wood to highlight flaws, and thinning stain or finish for other purposes.
If you properly clean the surface and use the correct primer, you can avoid sanding altogether.
Best Primers for Painting Wood Without Sanding
I like both Kilz bonding primer and Zinsser Oil Based primer for use on furniture. For this piece, I used oil based because it was what I had on hand. I traditionally like to work with water based paints for easy clean up but oil based is a great option as well!
Light colors go very well with dark flooring. Pale, cool blue walls work especially well in a dining room, if you're looking for a lively pop of color. Calming blue and blue gray shades can bring contrast to the dark wood to brighten your space.