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vadawg

Stairway banisters- can they be stained?

VADawg
9 years ago

Hi all,
I'm deciding between floor stains (see my other post), and forgot to add this question- my contractor says banisters can't be stained? He says they can't sand a banister so we'll have to paint it black. Currently the stairs, banister, and floors are a natural finish (red oak), kind of a honeyish color. I'm staining the floors and stairs darker, either special walnut or provincial, and I assumed. I'd do the banister the same but my contractor says he can't stain a banister. This sounds like hogwash and laziness to me? I'm worried a black banister will look funny with medium wood floors. Nothing else in our house is black. This is my first reno and I have zero faith in whether things my contractor says are true at this point or him just taking shortcuts. Any advice? Please share!

Comments (12)

  • glennsfc
    9 years ago

    Staining stair parts is tedious work. Because it is not new construction and already has finish on it, which must be removed prior to applying stain, it can be a very labor-intensive project. Perhaps he doesn't want to do it for the time it may take to get it done. If this is a simple wall mounted banister, then maybe have it replaced with new?

  • jfcwood
    9 years ago

    Penetrating stains, like we use on floors, are applied and the excess is wiped off. It has to be applied to freshly sanded raw wood. Your stair banisters can be stained with penetrating stain but every last bit of old finish needs to be stripped, scraped and sanded off first. If you're going darker, instead, they can be lightly sanded and stained with a brushing or non-wiping stain. This work is more suited to a skilled painter. You don't generally need to use penetrating stains on banisters since they don't get walked on.
    If you want the banisters stained, contact a skilled painter.

  • VADawg
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    The problem is I'm at the mercy of my contractor and his subs. I don't have the money to hire an extra painter on my own. :(

  • jfcwood
    9 years ago

    You could ask him how much he's charging you to paint the banisters black. Ask him to credit you that portion, save it up, add to it until you have enough money to hire a qualified person, then do so.
    Or you can have your banisters painted black.
    Or you can do it yourself.
    http://southernhospitalityblog.com/staining-an-oak-banister/

  • lazy_gardens
    9 years ago

    "He says they can't sand a banister so we'll have to paint it black."

    He means "You can't afford to pay me the time it takes to sand and stain the banister."

    Tell him to deduct the cost of painting it from your bill and do it yourself later. First strip the old finish, then use the flexible sanding sponges to sand it than apply the stain of your choice, then a high-use clear finish.

  • gregmills_gw
    9 years ago

    Everyone has good advice. Ill throw this out there.

    Id never use this for a floor but how about a chemical peel? No sanding and i believe there are some less toxic kinds out there.

    Ive never used the stuff so i have no idea if it would cause any issue with staining evenly or sorts.

  • VADawg
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yes,you are right, he means "it'd cost too much money to hand-sand and stain." I am not handy at all, not in the least, so any DIY project is out. I could save up and wait to get the banister hand-stained, but I'm so tired of this renovation at this point, I just want it done so I guess I'm just going to go with painting it. He also said the spindles and risers have to be painted for the same reason. I like the look of white risers and spindles, it's just the banister being a completely different color than the steps and risers that I don't like. Oh, well. 7 months of this reno and dealing with this contractor have done me in. Thanks for your advice!

  • weedyacres
    9 years ago

    I think I'd leave it with its current color stain before I'd paint it black.

    You could try having him "paint" the banister with Minwax Polyshades in espresso (or whatever shade is closest to your floors). You don't have to remove the previous stain to do this, and it'll just darken what's there, and it includes poly with the stain.

  • glennsfc
    9 years ago

    "You don't have to remove the previous stain to do this, and it'll just darken what's there, and it includes poly with the stain." weedyacres

    I agree...good advice.

    Polyshades or any urethane film-forming finish with suspended pigment may darken the banister or change the color enough to be acceptable. I have used this technique to blend boards that were too vivid in a finished floor. It takes a little skill and patience...you apply the product in a manner that will place just the right amount of product without causing runs and drips. If I was doing this, I would apply a thin coat of the product, let it dry and then apply another coat...let that dry...and proceed with more thin coats until I got the desired look. You do have to be careful to allow sufficient time between coats for the vehicle (solvents...oil or water) to flash off to avoid alligatoring of the finish film. I call the technique "dry brushing"...maybe that will work for you.

    weedyacres posts some good advice.

  • jfcwood
    9 years ago

    That is a great idea. The lady in the link I provided above (http://southernhospitalityblog.com/staining-an-oak-banister/) also used Polyshades. She says she didn't sand or prep the surfaces beforehand. I think they should be cleaned and lightly sanded before finish application.
    I concur with GlennSFC in that you want to do multiple thin coats.
    We usually apply Minwax clear spray poly for the final coat. It's easier to get a uniform coat free of drips and brush marks. It does tend to dry a little more matte than the can says. Satin can be almost matte. Semi gloss can look more like satin.

  • glennsfc
    9 years ago

    I missed the link...I will have to check it out. Thanks...always looking to learn something new.

  • jfcwood
    9 years ago

    Actually she doesn't give much details on that page. There's another page with a few more details:
    http://southernhospitalityblog.com/polyshades-stain-project/

    You won't learn much from it that you don't already know but at the least, the pictures are nice.