refinishing stairs

abbydo2004

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refinishing stairs

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4109.1

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abbydo2004

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Nov-7 5:19 pm

I pulled the carpet off my staircase and underneath was a staircase that was really built for carpet. It isn't hard wood or anything, but I thought I would sand it down and polyurethane over it and then put a runner on the stairs. In any case, I'm trying to sand off the ugly dark brown stain that was on the stairs under the rug. The problem is the stain is too deep for me to completely sand off. Where the wood grain was you can still see some of the dark stain. I know if I polyurethane over it, the grain will get even darker which I don't want. I don't know what to do. I have an idea but I'm not sure it would work. I thought I could get paint the same color as the natural wood, add water and sort of white wash over the steps. That way maybe the stain in the grain would look lighter, and then I could polyurethane over that. Does anyone have any experience with this problem? What do you think of my idea?

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cl-thatyank

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refinishing stairs

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4109.2 in response to 4109.1

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cl-thatyank

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abbydo2004

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Nov-7 10:12 pm

Sonds like the wood isn't really a quality wood and while you plan on putting a runner on over it, to hide it's major "defects", it will probably NEVER look as nice as a finished hardwood or heart-of pine.

A paint wash MIGHT work --- have you got some "spare" wood that you can test the two approaches (stain plus polyurethane; white-wash plus polyurethane)? And it isn't clear to me: are you white washing before or after staining? Or white washing only? There could be a reaction between the white wash and the stain is why I asked...

Also, I know that water will make grain on some woods "rise" which could make it MORE obvious... which means a test is even more important since grain is NOT what you want.

Another option: have you considered painting with a faux woodgrain finish?

here's a really good article on how to refinish wooden stair treads:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/841481/how_to_refinish_wood_stair_treads.html?cat=6

Hope this helps...

Co-CL for "The Stitcher's Niche" and ""Shake Up Your Style" and CL for "Remodel & Renovate"

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abbydo2004

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refinishing stairs

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4109.3 in response to 4109.2

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abbydo2004

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cl-thatyank

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Nov-8 5:33 am

you're right, the stairs are not quality wood. This house was built in the 70's when carpeting was the in thing, so the thinking was that it was a waste of money to use high quality wood on steps that are only going to be covered over with carpet. I honestly don't know what to do. The steps are not pretty even though they are sanded. I'm at the point where I think that maybe I should just paint the whole staircase white and put a runner over it. I refuse to completely cover them with carpeting because once it gets dirty, it looks worse than the bare wood. Like you suggested, the faux grain is an option, but it already has grain in the wood, that's why I thought a paint wash with polyurethane over it might work. I saw in Home Depot that there is a polyurethane with stain already mixed in it, so that would save a lot of work. I just don't know how it would look if I did a paint wash in natural wood color and then put the polyurethane with the stain in it over that. Like you said, there could be a reaction. Do you think just painting the whole staircase white would be a bad idea? The floor in the foyer is a beautiful hardwood.

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cl-thatyank

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refinishing stairs

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4109.4 in response to 4109.3

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cl-thatyank

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abbydo2004

date:

Nov-8 6:54 am

I think, if you have white trim elsewhere (like baseboards, door frames, crown molding?), then white-painted stairs would look fine, especially as you are adding that runner and all you would see would be the edges of the stairs...

Check this picture where the risers were painted but the entry floor is hardwood. Looks clean and crisp..
http://floorcoverings.wordpress.com/category/stairs/
Oh, and this page says avoid glossy finishes; go with matte...

This one has a painted/stained runner but it would look similar if you used a real runner:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/good-questions/good-questions-question-los-angeles-081907

It IS possible to install hardwood over the old stair treads/risers although it isn't as easy as installing a floor since you have to finish edges *and* the risers may not be consistent in size... Check out this page:
http://www.laminate-flooring-installed.com/installing-laminate-flooring-on-stairs.html
or this one:
http://knol.google.com/k/ehowknol/how-to-install-hardwood-flooring-on/3a9e8hggiw4cz/235#

Co-CL for "The Stitcher's Niche" and ""Shake Up Your Style" and CL for "Remodel & Renovate"

Visit me at That Yank In... and Traveling with That Yank

Avatar made with Portrait Illustrator Maker

What is your favorite needlework embellishment?
In these economically challenged times, do you think we need a Repair Manifesto?
What do you do to get yourself out of a style slump?