I plan on restaining a table. Is it easier to sand or strip the old stain off?

Question

The table never had a laquer finish, just stained.

Answer 1

If the old finish was only stain with no sealer, then you should just sand it, because the chemical sealer will penetrate into the wood & drive the stain deeper into the pores/grain & no amount of sanding will remove it. If you want to go from a dark stain into a lighter stain, you may have to bleach the wood. It doesn't sound like it's worth the time! Go with the same color or darker, but trying to go lighter will make you want to throw the piece into your barbecue pit! For those small & tight areas where sandpaper won't go, you can use an inexpensive emery board or metal file from the manicure section of any drug store, OR cut small pieces of sandpaper & glue them to a popsicle stick or tongue depressor!

Answer 2

To remove the stain you have to sand to open the wood to let the stain in: Stripper will help open the wood but you still need to sand.