> Sorry to abuse my priviledges - but I know Y'all know the answer to this
> non-boatbuilding question.

> I'm over at my friend Bill's house. He is trying to refinish his front
> door. It has some old stain literally cooked into it. He want's to strip
> it and restain

> The obvious questions:

> 1. How should we strip the old finish off? Can you suggest the right
> chemicals. Sanding isn't going to do it.

> 2. After re-staining - what would you recommend as a preservative?

> 3. Also - we were curious if preparing the surface prior to restaining is
> a good idea. Would it make sense to lubricate the wood with some kind of
> oil prior to staining? Use an oil based stain? The wood seems a bit
> parched at this point.

> Sorry to intrude on the boat building fun - but a few other projects
> around the hous are inevitable aren't they?

> TIA,

> PC for Bill

Hi Paul, got a few ideas for you to try. First is a product called peel-away. You paint this stuff on, cover it with either a plastic or paper sheet (depends on how old the package is as to which you get) let it sit for a few hours, and then peel the old finish off with the paper, I've seen this stuff strip off up to 23 coats of old finish. The thicker the build up the longer you have to let it sit. Using a wood bleach or a mix of TSP (tri sodium phosphate) available at any good marine store will help clean the wood and even out the base for the new stain. After the wood has been cleaned, allowed to dry, sanded to an acceptable finish, you can stain with any good stain (I like Minwax) and sealed with a good polyurethane (I like Minwax). This should get you many years of service. Hope it helps, Good Luck. Tom