Am I understanding that you have tried to remove the dark stains - tried sanding and they won't come out? That is too bad because it would look fantastic stained and finished. If the stains cannot be removed, then paint is the way to go.

Yes, I tried removing the stain with the goopy stain remover and steel wool several years ago. I didn't try sanding, thinking that I might have to sand too deeply to get the stains out. I don't really have any experience with stripping furniture, so perhaps I need to rethink this before giving up on it. If sanding will work, I'd much rather use a stain than paint.

IMO the stains are probably pretty deep so either stain it dark or paint it . I think it might look pretty cool painted a great color I will mention however if you are planning on using this at the table getting out of there will be almost impossible.

Yes, that's what concerns me - that the stains are too deep. I don't want to put a dark stain on it because it won't go with the dining room set. If I paint it I am thinking of white, or maybe even a reddish tone to provide a splash of contrast with the rest of the room. We won't be using the pew for sitting at the table; it will be up against the wall, more decorative than anything.

I might be showing my natural wood bias here, but I'm thinking this is just one of those pieces that deserves to be restored. A painted wood pew just becomes a painted bench. It's a shame as it's a really nice piece. Perhaps it would fit better in another location where a dark stain would work better? A hallway maybe?

I can't see the whole room, but who says the finish has to match the table? Looks like you have some different woods in the room already. Even if you could remove all the stains, you'd have a tough time matching it exactly to the dining room set. So if the stains cannot be removed and are substantial enough to need to cover, use a darker stain and still use it in this space. Like LaLennoxa, I have a bias toward natural wood and think it would be a shame to paint this. What a wonderful piece to incorporate into your decor. I love pieces that have real history like this. Enjoy!

Definitely do NOT try to match it to the dining set. It's an accent piece in the room with a lot of interest. I think you should paint it. Choose a color from the picture on the wall, maybe the soft green and give it a little distressing and rub-through on the edges to show the wood underneath. Add some accent pillows with a little bolder color. You could find some great vintage fabric for a seat cushion or pillows at a resale shop or on Etsy. All in all, an inexpensive re-do on great find!

it is very nice but looks uncomfortable. The stain seems to be on the lower half of the back. I would get some plywood and rap fabric around it with some ruberfome and polydack inside. So I would make a back cushion just the hight to cover the stain and make a seat cushion also

I took the carpet off my stairs and finished them. There were many stains from the workmen when they built the house. Yes, it can be impossible to get stains out of wood and I stained the treads dark using a gel stain, as a stain, not as a paint as some do. I was able to hide some of the stains - but up close the stairs look "distressed." Stair tread rugs cover the worst of it. Although I am also a wood lover, sometimes if a finish is too stained, paint is good. I do like the idea of a cushion - like my stair rugs, it would cover up the worst of it.

Thanks everyone for your comments! I also am biased toward natural wood, so I may try one more time to get the remaining stain out. My wife is planning to make cushions for the seat, so stains there would not be so important. Perhaps I'll try a mid-tone stain like a cherry and see if it hides any remaining old stain. Would anyone have any recommendations on stain stripper? The stuff I used before had a nasty smell (maybe it was Kean-Strip) and I'm thinking that it would be healthier to use a more environmentally-friendly stripper like Citristrip, but I don't know if it would be as effective. Any thoughts?

I used Zinsser Citrus Stripper and Citristrip on my kitchen cabinets. They both did a good job and had reasonable odors - no nasty smell. I did let the stripper sit overnight - but I was working with a factory finish. Then I did older 1970's cabinets and it just took a few hours for the stripper to work. For your bench - probably not overnight. Remember to neutralize the striper with a good dose of mineral spirits when you are done stripping. Otherwise, the small bit of stripper left in the wood will keep your new finish from taking.

Try citistrip. Those marks don't look like stain though. If you can't get them out trip, try a weathered grey or a medium tone stain like antique walnut and see if it blends in.

You might also try Annie Sloan chalk paint, distress, waxed and aged with a dark wax. You can skip the distressing. But you can get some beautiful finishes with Annie Sloan products.

Use household bleach on the stains. I refinished a desk top that had some pretty bad India Ink stains.

Thank you jhmarie for the important tip about using mineral spirits - I did not know that! And thank you Smistry for the stain color ideas, and the Annie Sloan products... I will definitely investigate those!

And thanks for the bleach tip, btassio. Is there a chance that the bleach would also lighten the wood?

I am an amateur DIYer. It was a very long time ago I tackled my project. Here's what I remember (I think). We soaked a rag in bleach, let sit on stains til they disappeared. Rinsed off area, sanded & clear coated.
If there is bleaching of wood, wipe the rest of your piece down with bleach, then rinse & sand to remove any raised grain.

Your not going to use the piece as is, so what do you have to lose? And, FWIW, I would either stain or just clear coat it not paint it. Good luck with your project!

Actually, btassio, I took your advice and tried bleach yesterday. It worked great for a few stains, but not at all for others. I had the bleach on the wood for 10 minutes - maybe I needed to have it on longer. I think I'm going to try Citristrip on it this weekend, though.

You haven't tried sanding at all, right? Old church pews are sturdy and thick, so I doubt you'd "go too deep." Worst case, try sanding a stain. If the results aren't good, just stain/paint as you'd planned anyway.

Hello, folks! What I thought would be a spring project turned into a late summer/early fall project! I just started working on my church pew just in the past few weekends, and managed to get more of the original stain out using Citristrip, and also trying bleach and alcohol on some spots. However, there are still some stains (see photos), and one of the sides has strange marks on it, like a rag with something had been placed on it. At this point I'm really tired of the stripping process, and I want to move on. I think these uneven stains will still show up if a put a new stain on it (especially if it is a light stain), but I like the grain of the wood and really don't want to just put paint on the piece. A friend of mine suggested pickling it white - he said I could balance out light and dark areas better. I like this idea because it would work well with the room it's going in, and you'd still be able to see the grain of the wood. Any thoughts, anyone?

If you want an older piece of furniture with character you should expect patina and some wear and tear. The way you cleaned it up to this point is perfect and I would leave it as is and think about the staining process.
BTW, my sister has one of these in her dining room and nobody cares ever about it being difficult to get in and out from behind the table.

Thanks for your comment, gustaruygers. I agree about the patina and wear and tear, I'm just not sure if a lighter stain will look good with some of those stains I wasn't able to get out, especially on the one side. That's why I'm wondering whether a white pickling would be a better option.

I ended up staining the pew with the oil-based Minwax natural stain, and while it's far from perfect, I'm pretty happy with the results (see pic). Now I am planning to use the Minwax water-based Polycrylic to seal it - I was recommended to use their water-based product since it won't yellow. I've always used brush polyurethanes, but the spray version of the Polycrylic was recommended to me as being much less likely to drip. Does anyone have any preferences or suggestions regarding spray vs. brush?

Nice job. The perfection in in the imperfection:)

I use brush on water based polyurethane - which will not yellow or amber. You have to do several coats (4 or so) at least two hours apart. At first you will think yuk because of brush strokes and even small bubbles, but it flattens itself out lovely. Do thin quick coats - do not keep going over what you have done. No sanding in-between unless it has been more than 24 hours since the last coat. I like Rustoleum, but I think some brands that the pro's use might be better - General Finishes and some other brands. I have a pro friend who dislikes Miniwax finishes.

I tried a spray on finish on a sign I made recently and was not happy with the result - looked uneven - but I am not experienced at spray on..

I finally got the job done! Not perfect, but I'm happy with it. I finished it with General Finishes polycrylic and, while it was expensive, I was very happy with it - drips on the vertical sides was not a problem. My wife is planning to make cushions for it.

Thanks to all of you who provided me with your advice and wisdom!

Looks lovely! I know how much work went into this.

I would like to buy church benches and turn them into outside steps for my porch,is the wood to dry to go from inside to outside and will the wood crack after being inside for so many years.