Cleaning goopy door

My cabin door, apparently, was sprayed/brushed with the same Behr oily redwood stain that was put on the rough wood on the outside of the cabin. This stuff works great on the rough wood, but apparently there was a coat of some sort of clear finish on the door.

The door feels sticky to the touch, and after a year, feels exactly the same. I figure I'll just have to pull the door and clean it with some type of solvent. What would you suggest? All I want to do is take off the oily outer coat, and not bother the clearcoat.

I am supposing that I would have to do it in small areas, and not get anything really wet. I am also supposing that I would have to use some type of solvent that will evaporate quickly to leave a dry finish. I also ass-u-me that I should do VERY small test areas no matter what I try.

Suggestions?

Steve

SNIP

I think the solvent for that Behr oil stuff is mineral spirits. You are right... check a small area first and see if you can get the oily stuff off. Inspect the finish underneath the goop, and try to see if you are taking off the clear finish underneath it when you remove the oily stuff. It is possible that the oily stuff has partially dissolved the finish underneath it, and there is nothing really there to save.

In that case, strip it, sand it, and refinish. That way you can be sure you will have a good bond with a reliable finish. If you spend a few weekends trying to do as little as possible to it you might actually wind up with more time. With some of today's strippers you can strip and sand one day, then finish the next.

Robert