Can I restain stained wood?

[blossomsarepretty]

Hello

I'm new to DIY so here we go..

Our new 1930s house has lots of original wooden features but they are all this orange/chestnut brown which I don't like.
I'm like to go darker if possible but not sure if it's doable and how to go about it.
Can it be done simply with a darker stain? Or something else? Should I sand it all down to bare wood first? I'd prefer not to paint over it.

Thanks!

You need to rub through the top finish (usually lacquer) is safer to go right back blast it can go streaky.
Looking at the picture I'm not sure what the newl post is finished in - it looks like it could be paint or sadolines etc. Once stained you will need to top in lacquer again. You can also blend stains if you wish. Word of caution, the timber looks like it's a softwood not a hardwood. The softwood grains are typically open and don't always stain well. It looks like quite modern joinery but it could be the picture. If it is pay close attention to the joints as softwood and poor installation practices often result in people filling gaps with wax. Was doesnt take the stain so you would need to dig this out and apply a matching wax.

Thanks!
Here are a couple more photos. That brown is just everywhere. Perhaps it is just easier to paint it although was hoping to keep the 'wood look'.

I think that there is a mix of of new and old. I love the door, some of the arcs look more modern but I think are likely either a lighter mahogany such as sapele or possibly an American oak (fast grown). I would say it would really be worth cleaning up and laquering. The colour will really glow. I would use foam abrasive pads medium(240 ). A lot of people prefer wax but I'd use polyurethane lacquer.

@Eng123 brilliant thank you so much

The door frames look like pine. There’s quite a big knot I can see. Unless they are high quality oak, and the same age as the house, I would paint them. If you want to retain the wood then clean them and lacquer.

It looks like the architrave are pine and have been replaced at some time , difficult to tell if the door frames are original, if they are they will be pitch pine, the doors are original and will definitely be pitch pine.
It’s a hard slow grown softwood and it was used in most 1930’s houses it has a nice grain and looks great sanded down and oiled ( teak oil works well . You can remove the doors and take them to be dipped, it removes all paint off them easily and they look good once sanded and oiled.

Pine isa dated look now I think. Past it’s sell by date. Beautiful oak Uz a different matter.

That door really isn't pitch pine, but it is lovely!

If it's the original door for the house ( it looks like it is ) then it is definatly pitch pine and is well worth all the effort to stop it back to the original , you could just do them one at a time ? The frame looks to be more modern ( pine ) as does the rest of the woodwork , it's hard to tell if the stairs are original. It looks like they have used sadoline to me as well , very difficult to sand off

Pitch pine is very different to today's pine , it's well worth the effort to restore it if you can . Good luck.

The glass door is not original 👍

The solid panel door doesn't look like pitch pine. The grain is too tight and the flecking (can't remember the proper term) suggests a hard wood, possibly oak. Either way I like it! I'd avoid dipping it, it's not good for the door.

I have had another look. The door frames do look like pine. The grain on the doors looks like oak. This is the natural colour for oak. We have white painted door frames with oak doors. I think that’s a good combination and I cannot see why you want to change the colour of the doors. Dark oak isn’t the natural colour. The colour they are is natural.

I would have much nicer door handles though. There are some great ones available. We have Turnstyle ones. I love them!

That glass is almost definitely not safety glass, BTW. If you have kids, it's a problem as it will shatter into shards if anything (like a wooden Percy engine) hits it. (harsh experience - had to unscrew the door and throw it in the garden)

And the door is probably not original but 80s or 90s b&q.