stan

[gilby]

our stairs are stained very dark. how can we remove the wood stain to make them lighter

[maggie01]

I would think the only way would be to use paint stripper which is messy or sanding and hopefully the wood is lighter underneath. My daughter sanding all the stairs and bannisters down the the bare wood (they were painted white)  and waxed them. It was a long hard job but they look great now.

[maggie01]

Just thinking about it paint stripper would probably not work if they are stained so I would think it would have to be the sanding.

[Chessman]

Have you thought possibly a plane, ann electric one would be best, set at the shallowest setting?, just a suggestion, but I think it might do the trick.

[qapmoc]

Hi gilby, the quick answer is that you can't remove the stain as it is not a surface finish but soaks into the wood when applied.  Usually you have to bleach it lighter to the color you want,   you can use domestic bleach, wipe on leave only 5 minutes and then wipe off, re-apply as many times as required for the effect you want.

You might also get wood bleach from a DIY place which is stronger - follow the instructions.