Looking for a quality finish varnish for an oak staircase with heavy foot traffic. Oil based stain already applied. Any suggestions?
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I'd just use a good quality polyurethane-'bout your best shot if you used an oil based stain. water born poly works well and is said to be tougher than tha oil-based. use about 4 coats, the first couats should be gloss- understand "polyurethane" in its pure state is gloss. They add microfine powdered talc in varying amounts to cut down the gloss. makes the finish a little weaker, satin being the weakest. Jim
I've got a different problem in finishing my staircase. Using maple with a clear polyurethane matte finish product (Streetshoe), all is hunky-dory except for the flight of steps which were first installed, upon which I dutifully taped red rosin paper using blue painters tape. (I wanted to finish all steps at once, and the treads for the upper flights, 2 inch thick maple, were still curing in the local kiln). So now, 9 months later, with sunlight coming through the east window right onto treads, I find I have stripes on the edges of the treads, one where the wood was exposed to sunlight, and another one where the blue painters tape was. Am I doomed to live with this evidence of my newbie stupidity, or can I sand these stripes out? Any bleaching products which might work? I have not even put the sealer coat on these treads yet, as I don't want to encapsulate the discoloration. TIA for your help. ------older but wiser, Tugboat Annie.
If you can b3e patient, those will even out over time - a couple years at most, or you canaccelerate the process by covering the opposite portions for a few weeks or more.
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I've fixed this problem before with a little masking and a black light (ultra-violet) UV is the part of the suns rays that cause this color change. Instead of waiting a couple years, you can make these changes in a couple weeks. Be carefull, check color match frequently. Or, you can just sand it out, not a problem.
After looking your post over again, I haave to say, sand it out. It'll sand out easily, you can go ahead and finish, live with stairs. Note that most finishes have no UV protectants in them, so expect them to darken w/ exposure to the sun. If you want to moderate that, use marine grade (has UV inhibitors) poly for the first two coats. Jim
Dear Jim and Piffin---Thanks for your feedback---I think I'll try the sanding first, w/ the UV light as a back-up strategy. The treads are only slightly darker at the sides, where they were exposed, but what makes it so noticable is the consistent "stripe" all the way up the flight. I think knowing that this is doable with sandpaper gives me the encouragment I needed. And I'm definitely going to check for UV-inhibitors on the Streetshoe label---the floors I've coated already look really nice, with some birdseye in the maple, and a few artfully placed pieces of spaulted maple. I might not want it to go any darker over time. Time to go buy a ream of 60 grit paper! Thanks again---"Tugboat Annie" a.k.a. Cheryl
Ditto what they said. :-)
If anyone in the house like to skamper up the stairs in socks and a little traction would help make them safer, fine sand is sold as an additive. I don't like the look of it in good light, so I go easy on the sand and only put in on the high traffic areas, if at all.
Cheers,
Don
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Don---the painter's sand is a great product---I've used it on the back (painted) steps of our 100+ yr. old house here in northern Wisconsin, where ice-storms, frost, snow and frozen-solid dripping gutters all make for 7 months of treacherous footing. I even keep a spare salt shaker filled with it by the back porch., for quick, last-minute dustings of slippery steps. Works great! Cheryl