But put them over a light wood or finish, and yellow is all you see. It gets worse. The only way I know of to remove the clear finish is with chemical strippers. I'd look for a citrus stripper that will remove both urethane and paint. Then I would use an acrylic paint on the furniture.
Acrylics are water-based and dry in two to four hours.
It takes 10 to 14 days, however, for it to completely cure. Once cured, the finish is as strong as urethane. The only time I use a clear finish over paint is to protect decorative painting on something that gets handled. Often the decorative painting process requires diluting the color with a glaze and the finish does not hold up as well. On most projects, I use an acrylic urethane to protect the art.