My staircase, banisters and spindles are oak, with a whitewash coating. How would you change the whitewash coating to a darker color like walnut. Does the old finish have to be stripped first or is there a way to change color witout stripping. I have spray equipment.
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You're either stripping it, resanding, staining, etc, or painting it.
And honestly, it's probably easier and cheaper in the long run to rip it out, put new in, and stain that the way you want it. I'd buy stock in Tylenol if I had to strip spindles.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
Forgot to mention that the spindles are being replaced with wrought iron. Just the banisters and bottom rails will have the change of color. The staircase skirt, the 1X6 that runs up along the wall & staircase treads will also be stained. The only problem there is that the staircase is carpeted.
Remove the carpet.Remove the spindles.Chemically strip the whitewash from what is left.Sand.Stain and finish as desired.Install iron spindles.Replace carpet.
Are we there yet ?
Minwax makes a product called Polyshades. Its a stain and polyurethane all in one. I don't know how it would work over the whitewash, but it might be worth experimenting a bit.
I just finished stripping about 90 pieces of trim for a place I'm working on. This was relatively easy - outside bench work, dry stripping with heat, scrapers and sandpaper. The profile of the pieces was flat surfaces, but six on each piece, with angles, etc.
It was a PITA all the way. If I wasn't trying to save trim from a 120 year old house, I would've flung that stuff in the dumpster in a heartbeat. Multiply that by a factor of 2 or 3 for inside work, protecting finishes and carpet, laying on stairs, forget it!
I once worked on an old victorian where we took paint off what sseemed like miles of trim, using dry and wet removers. For the time and effort you will put yourself through, I would tear the stuff out and start from scratch, unless this wood is real special to you. Either that or go over it with something else. (If you really want a nice simple stained finish, start from scratch.)
Don
You could probably achieve a halfway decent faux finish.
Faux finish did enter my mind, but i'm unsure of the procedure. How do I go about it?
There are many different ways to do a faux finish, but they basically involve putting down a background color and then applying a contrasting color. The top color is mostly wiped off, producing a grain-like appearance. (Requires some skill/practice.) Usually the background is dark and the top color is near white, but you can go the other way around and use the existing whitewash as the background.
Thanks Dan HYour process is logical, so I'm going to give it a try.Thanks,
Shades
Any home center should have two or three books on this. It's probably best to buy one to fill in the details and give you some more ideas.
What is the "white wash"? Is it pickled, white stained and then clear coated? Or is it a thinned white alkyd? If an alkyd, try an oil base dye after a thorough cleaning. If the dye won't color the pigment or its a pickled, stained and clear-coated oak try a weaker stripper than methylene chloride such as the citric acid based types. After removing the lion's share of the finish try a bit of the desired dye or a stain, if it takes you're good to go.
To protect the carpet cover with plastic sheeting taped down tight. Prior to working lay out loose sheeting or drop clothes. At the end of each day remove all of the loose drops and wipe the taped down sheeting--wiping away from the tape! Tape down lauan strips or the like on the treads for safety.
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you can glaze them to a darker color w/o stripping.
Please give me details on how to do this without stripping.
shades, <!----><!----><!---->
Since 3-Fingers hasn't gotten back to you yet….I'll jump in for now. <!----><!---->
The first thing you need to know/determine if re-coloring/over-coating can take place without stripping is…..what is on there for clear coat finish presently? <!----><!---->
If you know who did the finishing, they may remember or have records……or maybe you already know. <!----><!---->
Stripping will be necessary/highly advisable if the current clear-coats are a conversion finish like a cat-lacquer. Reason being that nothing, including the same conversion finish, will reliably bond to an existing conversion finish………. including the same conversion finish. Sorry to say…….it's just the nature of the beast. <!----><!---->
I wouldn't personally feel comfortable offering further advice/guidance until we know what the current finish is. <!----><!---->
If you'd like pics of the general procedure (all the masking required) to do re-coloring of a staircase without stripping, I can post those. It's very time consuming as a rule, but can be done.
Knowledge is power, but only if applied in a timely fashion.
You can make a glaze with a liquid glazing medium and any tint or (I have used in the past) a gel stain. You make a test on an area.
These is really easy. Heavy, glaze wipe on with rag or brush. Let sit and wipe off. Test to get the desired results. By letting sit or wiping more off. let dry 12-24 hrs. Spray a top coat on (shellac, lacquer, poly).
It is really easy and gives a nice look. Any questions ask.