BlackMerlin
New member
I used Peelaway 1 stripper to remove multiple layers of paint on the (I believe Fir or Hemlock) threads and risers of my staircase and later found that it had darkened the wood / left a green shade (at which point I switched to Peelaway 7 and had no more problems). Having read more about it, I believe it is due to the ammonia content or at least the alkaline nature of the product which appears to have a similar effect to ammonia fuming. I used citric acid to reduce the stain but it is still very visible. I tried Barkeepers Friend next (given it's Oxalic Acid content) but that made no difference. I have sanded the stain in one area but it required quite a bit of sanding to get to the original colour. Sanding looks the best option for now but before I do this I thought of checking if there is anything else I should try. Higher concentration Oxalic Acid perhaps? My plan is to later oil the staircase.
