Removing Green From Poplar Wood

Poplar is always painted, right?

Poplar is often shunned as a stain or clear coat worthy wood due to the green tones it contains. Those green tones can easily be converted to golden brown to orange tones with this helpful hint.

Remove The Green From Poplar

Safety note: Oxalic acid is should be handled with care. It is toxic and should not come in contact with any part of the human body. Use eye and skin protection as well as applying this outside or in a very well ventilated area. Always read and adhere to the safety precautions provided by the oxalic acid manufacturer.

Poplar can be downright ugly if it contains too much green. That’s why it is often used on projects that will be painted. Thanks to oxalic acid, poplar can be transformed into a very beautiful wood ready to be stained and/or finished.

This is sometimes referred to a “bleaching” but technically oxalic acid is not a bleach.

Here are the easy steps for transforming poplar:

1. Complete all final cuts (you might even want to assemble your project) and sand the wood to using 80, 120 and then 180 grit sandpaper.
2. Mix the oxalic acid which comes in powder form to a ratio of 1 lb of acid to 1 gallon of warm water. (Since the powder is very fine, use a particulate mask to avoid inhalation of the acid.)
3. User a garden sprayer to liberally apply the acid to the poplar.
4. Allow the acid to dry. If you are in a hurry, wait at least 45 minutes.
5. Apply a second coat and allow it to dry.
6. Use a garden hose to rinse the wood. Use A LOT of water. You do not want residual acid in the wood.
7. Allow the piece to completely dry which may take 1-2 days.
8. Now sand your pieces to your desired finish (220 grit in this video) and be sure to use a particulate mask during sanding just in case there was any residual acid left on the wood.
9. You’re all done. Apply your stain or finish of choice!

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