Chosen Solution
Hello everyone. I have recently noticed that one of my isopropyl alcohol bottles had a leak and severely damaged the surface of my desk. The bottoms of my mats are seemingly fused to the top, and there are stains/warps everywhere. The desk wasn’t cheap so I’m not super happy about it. I’m sure I’ll never get it back to how it was, but does anyone have tips on how to remove some of the stains and residue from the screw mats? Looking forward to your ideas. Thanks! -Austin
Looks like you’ll need to refinish the top of that desk, at least that would be my approach. I’d get a razer blade and scrape the black stuff off. Then go over it with various sandpaper grits starting at like 50 grit and working up to 300 grit. If you want a really nice glass-like finish you could work your way up to 600. At least that’s what I’ve done when I’ve made charcuterie boards. Look up guides on how to finish like a wooden tabletop and get some ideas. I’m not sure what the whole desk looks like given the image you provided. Probably wouldn’t hurt to put down a layer of plastic under your matts just to prevent an issue like this again. EDIT Just make sure that’s actual wood and not that fake wood grain they stick on stuff to make it look like wood.
I’d use a electric sander and hit it up to 600 grit, then apply a similar top coat and then seal it in with wax. While wax is no guarantee that it will not happen again, it’ll at least ensure cleanup is easier next time.
