Removing engine oil stain from floor

[Peregrine1983]

I am so bummed. A careless mistake has left me with a used engine oil stain on my teak and holly floor next to my engine. My boat is hauled for the winter and I just noticed that this used (very black) engine oil has been sitting now on my floor for a month or two. I did not notice it until today is it must have leaked from the container it was sitting in and pooled underneath.

I wiped down the area with a rag and got all the wet oil off. My next approach is going to be to use Dawn dish soap. It is getting lighter, but there is still a darkened, stained area in the wood. I'm dreading my wife finding this because she loves the old floors on our boat........ Ugh....

Any ideas on how to get the oil out of the wood without hurting the finish??

[hellosailor]

Oil gets absorbed into the pores of the wood, and oil absorbers don't follow so well. There are some poultices white powder that you put on top, cover, and allow to "draw" the oil out. Some will use a solvent to try pulling it out too. But I suspect you'll have to dry that kind of magic and still wind up sanding and refinishing the wood. And then keeping it well sealed to minimalize the problem next time around.

If the floorboard lifts out, maybe there's a furniture repair shop in your area, where they have the expertise to go at it for you?

[Peregrine1983]

Thanks hellosailor. I appreciate it. Unfortunately, it’s not a removable piece. I am going to take a look for some of those powders that might draw the oil out.

[hellosailor]

I think bentonite (fuller's earth) is probably the best generic although I'm damned if I know where you can buy that. Powdered kitty litter (the clay kind) would also do the trick, that's used by fire departments on oil spills. Powdered chalk might even do it...but I'm sure there's something sold for the purpose out there. If nothing else, maybe a local fuel delivery company can tell you what they use for spills on concrete.

[boden36]

This is purely speculative and will tax your ingenuity, but can you dam around the area and fill it with some multi purpose thinners which will dilute the oil? (Maybe a frame gasketed and clamped/wedged to the floor)

Regards,
Richard.

[Dangen]

I have had ok results using automotive brake cleaner.

[zeehag]

happened to my formosa before i bought it. the black oil soaked into the wood and now i cannot see where the stain was. just place a scatter rug over it and wait the ocd until a couple of years gone by.
i donot know what will remove oil from an oily wood without destroying that wood. your choice. let the dark stain dissipate over time with the ocd refocused onto other things or try to rematch your sole in a replacement for the wood destroyed in the oil removal. i can no longer see where the engine oil rejuvenated my wood.
oh the shame the horror of staining wood with wrong oil. it WILL dissipate on its own. the black will go away magically.
i damnnear did it on my own with my first oil change in open ocean, as well... if gotten quickly that oil spill is minimal, but if not caught it WILL dissipate eventually. make a good story to cover it. it reminds us what idiots we are to be doing such inane things in an open and swelly ocean.
if you are not on board year round you may not even notice it as it dissipates.

[hellosailor]

Did the scatter rug act as a poltice, with the cloth fibers absorbing the oil? (G)

Richard-
The dam will work, but the solvent may creep under it. And with a poltice of any kind, that can absorb some of the oil, instead of just thinning/pushing it further into the wood. If you need something from the corner store, maybe talc or cornstarch? Kitty clay in the blender?

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Did the scatter rug act as a poltice, with the cloth fibers absorbing the oil? (G)

Richard-
The dam will work, but the solvent may creep under it. And with a poltice of any kind, that can absorb some of the oil, instead of just thinning/pushing it further into the wood. If you need something from the corner store, maybe talc or cornstarch? Kitty clay in the blender?

scatter rug is an ocd preventer. makes eyes forget the stain as it dissipates into wood. nothing will remove it. i swarezes. btdt. 3 times.... once before i bought, once when removing engine, and once with my awesome underway oil change., thank heavens for racor fg...hahahaha didnt have to reprime.

[Classicsailboat]

Maybe cut the piece out and replace with appropriate sized access port?

[Lodbrog1]

I have found that a warm iron, not hot! on an absorbant cotton with bentonite or cornstarch underneath over the stain , you do not want the glue to release the veneer from the ply substrate if it is a veneer. It is also helpful to take a single edge razor blade and slowly scrape most of the covering finish off so that a solvent can be applied by Qtip to enable the heat and absorbers to work. Key is slowly go about the process. There are no instant fixes. When you get close to achieving removing the blackness, which is carbon, you can again use a mild wood bleach applied by Qtip and let it do its work and reapply if necessary. When dry, clean with a damp sponge, let dry and wipe with denatured alcohol or thinner and you will see what it will look like when you reapply the finish. Have fun.

[Mithril Bham]

Hate when that happens. Someone put a half full qt of oil in my dock box with a $6,000 sail. Still wondering what to do with it. Amazing how much damage a little oil can do. Thought about dying it..
All we can do is learn from our mistakes and remember how much damage a small mistake can make.
Good ideas above. Afraid you will have to live with it or replace the wood.
Good luck.

[CarstenWL]

... K2R (https://www.walmart.com/ip/K2R-Spot-Lifter/38473417).

Regards,

Carsten

[Hunky Dory]

I have removed stains on teak by using products from West Marine. I first used liquid teak cleaner rinsed with water following instructions, then teak brightner, and then teak oil. Years ago I questioned how much oil it took to build up the finish. The answer was once a day for a week, one a week for a month, then once a month for a year, and finally once a year. Good luck

[hellosailor]

Zeehag, perhaps you could hire a good local woodworker to inlay a veneer design. Mother-of-pearl, rare woods, you know, make a real Persian rug inlaid with veneer instead of cloth?