We're trying to strip a pale white stain and topcoat off of an oak
staircase. We've been using SuperStrip and have been having very
little success. We've tried laying the stuff on thick and letting it
sit for anywhere between 15 minutes and a few hours and repeating up
to 7 or 8 coats. We've tried covering it with wax paper and tin foil
to slow the evaporation. We've tried removing it with a scraper, a
wire brush, a toothbrush, a scrubbing pad and paper towels. We've
tried raising the heat to 80 degrees and we've tried using a
hairdryer. In the end, we've had best results with taking a
toothbrush, dipping it in the SuperStrip and brushing away the
finish. Obviously it's been incredibly labor intensive and contrary
to everything I've read about how this job should at the most, be only
time consuming, but not muscle straining. So, I'd like to open the
floor and ask, if there is something that we've overlooked that would
make this job easier? Has anyone else had a similair experience where
seemingly none of the conventional methods worked?