I am in the process of refinishing a cedar fence that was last stained 8 years ago. The stain was used SW Deckscapes waterborne toner stain. I purchased F18 max to strip it, not realizing it was mainly useful for oil based stain removal… After starting the job, I noticed the areas where the stain had failed, F18 max did a great job. However, in areas where it miraculously survived the 8 years, it was clear the stain was not coming off (could still see some drips from original stain). After finishing the 3000sqft of fencing (both sides), I am left wondering what to do next.
Should I redo the entire stripping job with another stripping agent better suited for water based stain? Seems painful just thinking about it. Or, should I abandon my plan to use an oil based stain, TWP, and just go with another water based stain? If the latter, any recs on a good water based stain?
