1.   Also, the old stain could bleed through paint or solid stain, so I would avoid those two finishes.

2.   Another thing to try, if the original paint is not peeling, is a solid latex stain.

3.   A painter redoing my house said a new coat of semitransparent stain will not cover the scratches, and proposed using solid stain instead.

4.   A solid stain can peel, by the way, whether it is latex or oil.

5.   A solid stain can be put on trim, too.

6.   A solid stain would be nice, but solid stains do not hold up well on horizontal surfaces such as the tops of railings.

7.   A. I think that oil stain was a solid stain, and solid stains are like paint, which create a film on the wood and can peel.

8.   A. There is no easy way to get the solid stain off the wood.

9.   A. Scrape and sand as much as possible and apply two coats of a solid latex stain.

10.   But even solid stains can peel.