# Staircase staining



## wje (Apr 11, 2009)

Pretty simple 

Old Masters penetrating stain in Early American. 
3 clear coats sanding between each.

Before and afters


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Looks great. I enjoy doing new stairs it's kind of a change of pace.


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## oldpaintdoc (Apr 11, 2010)

We just did this. 









To this.


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## oldpaintdoc (Apr 11, 2010)

Opps. Don't know why they went side ways.


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## JeremyCampbell (Mar 19, 2014)

:thumbsup: Nice work wje ! Love how that grain pops out. Sweet...


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## 12th man (Mar 18, 2014)

Very nice


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## woodcoyote (Dec 30, 2012)

Nice cathedrals in that oak grain. Good job! 

Too bad we have mostly (98.9%) single story houses here or this would be a fun element to play with in a house.


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## Krittterkare (Jul 12, 2013)

What did you use for the clear coats?


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## playedout6 (Apr 27, 2009)

WJE...have you ever used Minwax Gel Stain over existing stained and varnished staircases ? I have a customer inquiring about getting her staircase darker...they informed me that if I sand the wood and apply the Gel stain...it would hold /stick after it is varnished a couple of coats...I get nervous experimenting on that kind of stuff LOL....
:whistling2:


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

playedout6 said:


> WJE...have you ever used Minwax Gel Stain over existing stained and varnished staircases ? I have a customer inquiring about getting her staircase darker...they informed me that if I sand the wood and apply the Gel stain...it would hold /stick after it is varnished a couple of coats...I get nervous experimenting on that kind of stuff LOL....
> :whistling2:


We've done that in a number of situations using Old Masters gel stain. I'd be concerned about taking that approach in a high-wear setting like stairs, especially treads. If the clear coat wears through or gets damaged, the gel stain layer is exposed and is easily wore away.


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## playedout6 (Apr 27, 2009)

Thanks Gough for the reply...it is nice to hear that it can be done....I would certainly forewarn any client of the repercussions of this method...LOL...and then she would have me varnishing it about every 2nd year...so kind of a win win for us LOL....
:thumbsup:


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## playedout6 (Apr 27, 2009)

Congrats Gough on the Mod appointment...I guess I missed that ....I have been away for a few weeks...months...has Scotiadawg been around at all over the Winter ?


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## fauxlynn (Apr 28, 2011)

Looks good, but that grain just gave me vertigo,lol.


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## wje (Apr 11, 2009)

playedout6 said:


> WJE...have you ever used Minwax Gel Stain over existing stained and varnished staircases ? I have a customer inquiring about getting her staircase darker...they informed me that if I sand the wood and apply the Gel stain...it would hold /stick after it is varnished a couple of coats...I get nervous experimenting on that kind of stuff LOL....
> :whistling2:


I have used gel stains to deepen the colour of wood before, to the point, it almost made the grains invisible. It can be done, but it doesn't give the wood as natural of a looking finish as staining to raw wood does. It wont penetrate the wood obviously so it is just basically a floating coat that will not enrich the wood. 

Like Gough stated, I would be skeptical trying it on stairs.

However there is another waterborne product which I believe is relatively new that my store carries. 

It is called Saman, and it is stain/urethane in one. Apparently it sticks to anything. I have heard of people topcoating their floors with it and it holding up incredibly well.

http://www.saman.ca/products/36-seal-stain-and-varnish-in-one-easy-step-hybrid


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## playedout6 (Apr 27, 2009)

A few months later....just curious whether anybody has any new updates on this Saman product over existing stained/varnished steps/floors . I know a girl that did a set of cabinets this past July using the MinWax Gel stain and they turned out AWESOME for her....I would not have touched the job with a 10 ft pole . I did a quick scratch test on them....and they seem good . :thumbsup:


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

Its harder to tone wood like this for me but it can be done, I end up with heavier areas. 

Spraying several coats of a thinned out dye is much easier and faster while producing a better finish than I can get with only gel stain.


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## woodcoyote (Dec 30, 2012)

Looks good. Nice cathedrals. Most people try to get rid of them now adays, but I like the way the look. Looks like REAL wood.


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## Delta Painting (Apr 27, 2010)

Looks nice... The risers are maple no?


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## wje (Apr 11, 2009)

Here is a sample of some of the saman stain we used to tone some handrails a while back.. They were golden oak but toned to match new flooring


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## paintball head (Mar 3, 2012)

Looks good . Did you have any issues with blotchyness where the brush starts and stops?


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## wje (Apr 11, 2009)

paintball head said:


> Looks good . Did you have any issues with blotchyness where the brush starts and stops?


Yes

You need to work fast, or you are screwed. Put your phone away and focus and away you go lol.


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## paintball head (Mar 3, 2012)

I did a staircase last year and mixed dye with polyurethane that worked out well. I've tried Minwax polyshades and lots of blotchyness with that product no matter what you do.


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## ptbopainter (Sep 10, 2013)

I've used Saman on stairs, mantel etc in honey wheat (?). I liked the results too. The stairs look great Wes!


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