Have a piece of furniture that is just screaming to be refinished? But you don’t know how to remove stain from wood? You’re in the right place! I wanted to strip the stain from at least part of this buffet! I mean those curves, those amazing details! Ah!

So we’ll show you the ways on removing old stain from detailed wood, as well as refinishing furniture techniques to give your piece a fresh new look. With these tips and tricks you’ll surely be able to bring out the natural beauty of your wood pieces.

antique jaccobean leg with old damaged and stained finish

But, what about getting into all of those details to get all of the old finish off? What a pain!! But it’s actually not THAT bad. Let me show you!

Click here for the stain removal guide and checklist

I found this old buffet with these amazing turned legs this week. When I saw it I just knew I wanted those pretty legs to come back to life with fresh stain. I definitely didn’t want to cover them up with the same old chalk paint we always do.

At this time, I hadn’t spent too much time removing an old finish from detailed wood so I was a bit nervous to go for it on such an amazing piece. So I searched and searched for guidance on how to strip stain from wood.

I found a couple of written out tutorials on stripping detailed wood, but mostly I found tutorials on stripping stain from a flat surface. UGH! I needed something MORE. And when I couldn’t find what I was looking for, I decided I needed to change that. So without further ado…

How to Strip Wood Stain from Detailed Furniture

**Update** Since I wrote this tutorial, I have used this exact method many times with great results. I added more photos of the process from another buffet that I removed the stain from.

Well, I’m not going to lie. It CAN be a pain. But once you make these products do the heavy work for you, it’s really not so bad.

Supplies Used to Remove Old Stain from Detailed Wood

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Citristrip
Cheap Paint Brush
Gloves
Cardboard Box or Dropcloth
Scotch Brite Pads
Steel Wool
Toothbrush
Mineral Spirits
Plastic Cup

The trick is to choose the right wood stripper and use the right process!

Does Citristrip Remove Stain?

But will Citristrip remove stain? YES! It can and will remove old stain. It’s even the easiest way to remove paint from wood furniture! Citristrip is the best stripper out there because it doesn’t have a harsh smell like most of the other strippers out there which is so much better for our health. And it actually works!

supplies to remove old stain from wood furniture

How to Use Citristrip on Wood

First, take your piece out to a well-ventilated area. Citristrip says it is safe for indoor use, but between Citristrip and Mineral Spirits, you’ll want to get fresh air while you work.

Make sure to lay a drop cloth, a piece of plastic, or a cardboard box under your piece if you don’t want the ground to get messy.

How to Apply Citristrip

After pouring a bit of Citristrip into a metal bowl, brush on the stripper, being very generous as you go. Brush the Citristrip on THICK. The thicker it is, the less it will dry out. So get it as thick as you can without it running down the sides.

I recently tried a new chemical stripper that I love even more than this method. Check out my Stripwell QCS review to see why I like it!

Then cover it with some plastic wrap. Make sure the Citristrip stays wet. Once it dries up it won’t work. If you’re in a hot/dry climate, wrap your wood with plastic wrap or plastic bags. Any brand is fine! The important thing is to make sure the Citristrip stays wet.

Plastic wrap wrapped around each leg after the citristrip was brushed onto the legs

Citristrip needs some time to work. The bottle says that it works after 30 minutes. But I personally like to leave the Citristrip on overnight. And honestly, from my experience, you can’t have Citristrip left on too long. (If you leave it on too long, it will just dry up. You can apply more Citristrip over it to reactivate it.)

I’ve left it on for a few days, and it hasn’t damaged the wood, but it has still taken off the old stain. Not that I would recommend it, but if time gets away from you, it is possible to leave it on without damaging the wood.

You can brush on the Citristrip in the morning and start stripping it off in the evening, just make sure your piece isn’t in direct sunlight, or a very warm area so the stripper doesn’t dry prematurely.

I left mine overnight, for about 13 hours. Test a small area to make sure the finish is coming off fairly easily before proceeding.

Sticky and partially dried citristrip after removing the plastic wrap

How to Remove Citristrip from Wood

Before removing the Citristrip and the stain, test a small area to make sure the old stain (or paint) is easily coming off. If it isn’t easily coming off, leave the stripper on longer.

Pour some mineral spirits into a cup and get out all your scrubbers. Make sure you put your gloves on for this, or your skin will be on fire afterward.

Scrubbing the leg down with mineral spirits and 0000 steel wool

Dip your preferred scrubber into mineral spirits and start scrubbing away. Each leg took me about 15-20 minutes to scrub down. I probably could have spent even more time than that! Be as thorough with it as possible so your new finish will look polished and not splotchy.

Scrubbing the leg with mineral spirits and 0000 steel wool

If there is any sticky residue left behind, scrub it off with some more mineral spirits. The mineral spirits will break up the gunk and remove it from the surface.

letting legs dry after removing citristrip

Then let the wood dry for a day or two. (Depending on the weather.) Once it’s dry, you’ll be able to see what it truly looks like.

More Tips for Using Citristrip Stain Remover

Use a toothbrush to get into tight areas. If you have even tighter areas than me, a toothpick and Q-tips will help you immensely. Go over the bigger areas with a Scotch Brite pad or steel wool. Whichever you prefer. I seem to like to go between the two.

Scrub the entire area until the finish is completely removed. If it is particularly tough in an area, brush on some more Citristrip, let it do its thing for an hour or so, and try again. Check out some more tips and tricks on how to remove stain from wood without sanding here.

Remember, wood sometimes can have funky grain. It may look like leftover finish, but it may just be the crazy grain of the wood. Here is a video of the process!

wood turned leg after removing the old stained finish

two stripped legs drying after using citristrip on them

More Before and After Makeovers

See All >

Click any of these “before” photos below to view the “after” of that makeover.

Staining a Dresser Darker

Painting Bedroom Furniture White

Painted Light Blue Dresser

sewing machine table before the makeover

Painted Sewing Machine Table

How to Refinish Stripped Wood

When the stain or paint is removed, let the wood dry completely. Depending on your climate, this could take a day or more. Then you can go over everything lightly with some fine-grit 220 sandpaper to make sure the wood is uniform, neat and smooth.

sanding the legs a little bit to remove the rest of the stain

This is where a SurfPrep sander with foam pads will come in handy now that I have it. Once all the dust is wiped down with a vacuum and tack cloth, it is ready for its new finish!

On this other buffet’s legs, I applied a coat of dark wax to stain them and seal them at the same time. Check out these top furniture refinishing supplies and furniture refinishing tools that will make your project perfect here.

Brushing on dark wax to stain the legs again — Brushing Dark Wax on to Re-Stain the Legs

You can see how this antique buffet turned out painted and refinished in this black painted antique buffet makeover.

How to Bleach Wood

If the wood is still not very light, you can bleach the wood to make it lighter! Check out this post on how to bleach wood, to see how homemade bleach can make wood lighter! Also, check out our guide on how to refinish a dresser where I stained the furniture lighter.

See, it wasn’t that bad once you turn your favorite jams on! Now, what project can you tackle that you didn’t think you could before? I would love to hear from you below in the comments!

Get the Secrets!

Grab this super convenient How to Repair Furniture Ebook with all of our secrets on how to repair furniture for only $14.

You can print it out and have instant access whenever you come across damaged furniture, and know exactly how to fix it!

Click on the picture of the book to purchase!

Do you have to remove old stain before restaining?

You may think that in order to apply a new stain on your furniture, you have to completely remove the old stain first. But I’m here to tell you that’s not always the case. In fact, staining over old stain is a perfectly acceptable option!

But before you go ahead and start staining over the old stain, you have to make sure the current stain is still in good condition. If it’s peeling, chipping or flaking off, then yes, it’s better to remove it completely.

But if the old stain is still intact and there are no major imperfections, then you can simply apply a new coat of stain over it. Keep in mind that when staining over old stain, the color of your new stain may be affected by the previous one.

So if you’re looking for a drastic change in color, it’s best to remove the old stain first. But if you’re just looking to freshen up the look of your piece, then staining over stain is a great option that will save you time and effort. Here’s our guide on how to stain over stain if you need more detailed steps and tips on this process.

CitriStrip Stripping Gel

Steel Wool

Sale

Mineral Spirits

As you can see, removing wood stain is not as intimidating as it may seem! With the right tools and techniques, you can easily strip detailed furniture pieces and give them a beautiful new finish. And if you’re not looking for a complete transformation, just remember that staining over old stain is also an option.