Hi! We've hired professional painters for some parts of the house. For others, I am doing the painting. One of the painters we interviewed said we could save money by painting the spindles of the staircase ourselves. We changed the trim from White Dove Satin to Decorator's White Semigloss elsewhere and now I sort of notice the difference on the Spindles which were left as White Dove (or an even creamier white.) That said, the lighting is very different on different sections of the staircase so even if I repainted the spindles to Decorator's white, they will look different. We have a black banister and red oak floors which we will be restaining a darker walnut color.

Any tips on painting the spindles? Is there some sort of device that can fit around the base and tops of the spindles for the extra paint spillage. Tape won't be very level/clean since it is a cylindrical shape. I suppose, I could quickly try to wipe off excess from the floor but I am most worried about the white on the black banister, especially if one is look up from the bottom of the stairs to the top section which goes across the hall way.

I take it I need to sand first. What # sand paper (or type of grit should I use), fine?

Please advise. Thank you.