Carpentry and Woodworking - Spots on Unfinished Raw Wood. Help Please

I am trying to remove spots from unfinished/raw timber beams. some of the spots are white cloudy in nature and look like dust, while others are bright white and look like slight water damage. I have tried dusting it off, cleaning it with a damp sponge, used mineral spirits and wood soap but as soon as the wood dries out, the spots are still there. If i peel a small piece off the beam, the wood underneath is perfect and in natural color.

Is sanding my only options? If so the wood is very rough, which grit should i use? I'd appreciate any help. I'm desperate to make my exposed ceiling look clean. :(

Welcome to the forums! Not having seen your wood, I can only give a generic solution. Rather than sanding, try using a soft brass brush (looks sort of like a toothbrush). Sanding will tend to smooth out the surface, the brush won't.

Chandler, thank you for the help but the brush was no success. Here are some pics i just took. On the first pic you can clearly see where i have peeled off a a thin layer off the grey/white area and the natural color shows underneath. I hope anyone can help me clean this up. I am getting desperate. Thank you guys.


http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/1223/wood1kk9.th.jpg (http://img265.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wood1kk9.jpg)
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/5580/wood2ep3.th.jpg (http://img411.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wood2ep3.jpg)
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7471/wood3ch1.th.jpg (http://img411.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wood3ch1.jpg)
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2228/wood4nw8.th.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wood4nw8.jpg)

My guess is that these are old sap stains. If turpentine does not remove stains, try scraping or planing away.

Tried turpentine but it didnt help. Only thing that seems to work is stripping layers of the wood by scraping or heavy grit sanding. Needless to say, it's a pain working this way on a ceiling. I wonder if a portable power sander or blaster would be much easier.

What about staining. Would the spots show if i just apply a stain on top?

Sandblasting will probably only tend to tear up your wood. I would try stain on a small area just to see. Use an oil based stain, as it may tend to mix better with whatever is causing the stain.

After some heavy scrubbing with turpentine the spots are starting to fade. Is there a solvent thats stronger than turpentine but safe to use on my wood?

Also, is the odorless turpentine just as good? The smell is unbearable and takes a long time to clear out. Thanks for all the tips guys.

Liquid deglosser would probably work better than turpentine or mineral spirits but it has a stronger odor!! Probably not the best time of year but a fan either pulling air out of the space or bringing fresh air in [with another open window for exit] is the best way to disperse the fumes.

What about turpenoid? I hear conflicting reports. Is it as good as turpentine w/o the odor?

I'm not familiar with turpenoid - never used any.