So I spent the day stripping paint off of the trim, and this post was originally going to be a How-To, however, the process was so inefficient and frustrating I don’t think that I can presume to tell anyone how to attempt this process.
I want to strip and stain most of the trim in the house because it’s all original and it all matches and has the same pointed detail at the top. Plus I love the look of all matching unpainted stained trim that you see in a lot of those old craftsman homes. The trim that was above the demi-wall between the living and dining rooms I intended to put above the large window in the sunroom to help integrate that room with the rest of the house and not have it look like such an addition. 
So after reading several how-to’s, I though i could easily tackle this project myself in not much time. Perhaps these people who wrote these how-to’s, who made this project sound so easy, did not have seven layers of paint to contend with. Perhaps they did not have to deal with the unbelievably dark stain and several layers of varnish underneath the paint. I hate them. The paint did not come off easily or evenly. The wood underneath looks a little splotchy due to the chemicals and uneven paint.
For others stuck in this nightmare, when I figure out a good way to do this, I’ll let you know. Here are the pictures from my first attempt.
Tags: frustration, how-to, stripping, trim