Q&A for How to Lighten Dark Wood Stain

Yes—you could sand the wood all the way down to the bare wood underneath the stain and then re-stain it with a lighter color.

Use a furniture refinisher to dissolve the stain and scrub it away with a bit of steel wool. Although it still involves some scrubbing, this approach is less damaging to the surface of the wood than sanding.

Unfortunately, gel stains are fairly difficult to lighten. Before the gel dries, you can scrub the surface with mineral spirits to lighten the stain. Once the finish has hardened, you can remove it by sanding it down.

If the wood isn’t sealed, you can easily stain over it. However, you’ll probably need to use a darker stain than the one already on the wood in order to get good results. Polyurethane stain blends can also be used over stained wood that has a topcoat sealant. For the best results, sand the surface down first so that the new stain bonds better with the wood.