[Superman]

I think you will agree that not all strippers are equal. This thread is about the difference between good strippers and bad ones.

The woman who, thankfully, runs my house and makes me happy is on a furniture refinishing vector. He is sanding and painting some wood chairs for our veranda in delightful colors using brightly colored latex paint and clear polyurethane, and the results are expected to be very pleasing. She tried stripping them using a very popular stripper which did little to strip the chairs and left an orange residue behind. She abandoned the stripping idea and is just sanding and painting, which likely will work great.

Now she is talking about refinishing the crappy, cheap night stands in our bedroom and I am concerned for her sanity. These are dark-stained things which she hopes to re-stain. This, I think, means thoroughly stripping the existing finish. I am skeptical about stripping furniture that I think was previously stained, particularly using stripper which does not work but leaves orange residue. I think she should sand and paint them, but I wonder if stripping is a viable option.

I can recall, years ago, using a stripper that worked. It was a clear jell (not orange) which did a great job of lifting and dissolving the paint which could then be easily scraped off. Am I dreaming, or was there such a thing? Is there such a thing as a really good stripper, and where can I find it / her?