I am beginning a much-needed renovation of the front hall in my 90-year old house. The stairway has the typical wooden banister that goes up the stairs, takes a turn, then continues another 12 feet along the upper halls. I plan to replace the old carpet with a runner. The spindles and the ends of the stairs are currently painted. I'm fine with leaving the spindles painted, but I would really prefer to have the stair treads stained, rather than painted. How does one tackle this? Is it really necessary to deconstruct the banister in order to properly remove the paint around the bases of the spindles? Given the length of the banister, I'm concerned about the cost of that, but suspect if the banister is not removed, then the work/cost of refinishing the stairs goes up. I will appreciate any suggestions!