Help! Refinishing furniture and I think that I destroyed it...?

Question

I'm a moron. Now that that's out of the way:

I was refinishing old furniture and used a minwax water-based stain. The first coat was barely there, so I did a second coat, which I know now was probably too heavy. At first it looked fine, but it eventually dried to a hideous dark brown, opaque, 70's brown color that left no trace of the grain. This took weeks of stripping and sanding - if I have to start over, these are going to goodwill before I make a bonfire out of them.

Does anyone know how to dilute/dissolve/remove water based stain? What I've tried so far (on smaller areas, undersides, etc):

1. Bleach
2. Ammonia
3. Mineral spirits
4. Paint stripper
5. Shellac/varnish stripper
6. Oxy
7. Grapefruit juice
8. Vinegar
9. Water
10. Liquid dish soap

This stuff will NOT come off or thin at all.Sanding looks even worse, even with a very fine grade.

Any advice is welcome.

Sorry if this wasn't clear-
I'm trying to dilute the top coat-
I am NOT sanding it down or stripping it again.

The guys at home depot (where I bought it) had no clue- they suggested lacquer thinner or acetone. Neither one did anything.

Answer 1

you say you have used paint stripper? try using a paint thinner, you might need to let it sit for a few minutes. I know how stressful redoing furniture can be. I hope it turns out for you. Just dont give up, you will only appreciate your finish product even more.

Answer 2

If a stripper doesn't work, then you've got a couple of options.
1) Sand it untill you've reached bare wood
2) Paint over it.

I've used Minwax waterbased stains and I've had no trouble stripping them. I used a citrus based stain/varninsh stripper that worked really well. Its a gross and messy process but it did work, and it really cut down on the amount of sanding I had to do afterward.

Hope that this helps.

Answer 3

Go to the store where you purchased your stain and ask for some help. I know there is a product you can use along with steel wool that should delute the stain enough to wipe it off. Sorry I can't remember the name. My Bad!