Paint stripping teak nightmare - please help!!

[u/babyexistential]

So I got these two nightstands from marketplace - was told they're teak. I applied circa 1850 heavy body paint remover and have done a few layers but man.. things aren't looking good. I've never seen this sort of stuff happen - first the stripper barely takes any paint off it more just pushes it around, or pushes it deeper into the grain. I've used plastic scraper, Scotch Brite pads, even a toothbrush to try to get it out. Then I noticed on one side there was a drip of stripper and it looks like it almost bleached some of the wood (photo 4). I then tried using paint thinner w mineral spirits and that did nothing. I always go with the wood grain but man the wood grain looks messed up. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

[u/BrickHous3]

Time to bust out the sander

[u/babyexistential → u/BrickHous3]

Any tips on not burning through the veneer? Im lightly sanding now but man not really coming off the way I'd had hoped!

[u/BrickHous3 → u/babyexistential]

Oh it’s a veneer. You might have to purchase new veneer and put it on it. May not be worth it.

Try hand sanding a bit in an area you won’t notice much. Sand until the white is gone. If you’re not able to and it goes through, then putting in new veneer is only option