# Changing color of a finished Railing



## Brilliant_Painting (Feb 3, 2017)

I have a customer who wanted to change the color of her stained and finished oak railing. I painted her walls white and after i was done she realized that her railing stood out like a sore thumb and then wanted it darker and a different tone to match new flooring she was going to put in so she called around and said that she wanted me to spray it with a shaded polyurethane but after i sprayed one coat on the railing she didn't like the color it was showing to much red and we are not acheiving the color she wants, now im trying to find out what is the best method to get the color she wants without stripping the railing down bare or painting it ( thoes options are last resort ) is there any good way of changing the color of a finished railing without stripping it or painting? is using a shaded polyurethane even a plausible way to accurately change the color of a finished railing (she was given the idea by the paint store she called)?


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

You are trying to go from a red to what appears to be a medium gray. IMO, tough to make that type of change without sanding it pretty much down to raw. Have you discussed with the HO about possibly painting the railing? Might look better with the wood floors, especially if you try to get the floors and railing to match stain-wise but end up with them being off by just enough to have them look goofy.


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## jennifertemple (Oct 30, 2011)

Man! The danged thing would need to be stripped right down & then find the right color and hope for the same level pf saturation. All woods take stain differently. I really don't think there is an easy way out on this.


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## Brilliant_Painting (Feb 3, 2017)

I had talk to her about painting it in fact that is what i was originally supposed to do until the day before she changed her mind and said that she had found something that would keep the stained appearance but change the color still. she was happy with the color in the paint store and also the small sample i did on the railing then when i sprayed the whole thing she see's to much red and then hasn't liked it since now we are trying to repair the color. She went back to the paint store got another greyer brown that she said looked amazing at the paint store but when we put it on the already colored railing she says she sees to much blue, would a gel stain work?


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## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

Like so many people, your client see’s something in the paint store or has a sample and doesn’t understand why you can’t replicate that finish on something like that handrail.

It’s gonna be really tough/impossible to match the flooring sample. General finishes has a stain or dye called Pewter that might work as a toner.

Here’s a General Finishes video on spray toning that might help: 





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## Tprice2193 (Oct 3, 2017)

Matching stain on unfinished wood is difficult...on finished wood next to impossible. Toner then clear coat maybe the way to go. Will be a lot of trial and error particularly with a customer who is waffly.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

A gel stain won’t really do much more than a penetrating stain in this kind of scenario. Toning might give you the ultimate effect you want, if you have the right equipment to do it. Even then it’s a process that takes a bit of practice and a lot of experimentation. 

Hope you bid this T&M, or at least you are now billing her that way now. I mean if she wants you to keep on trying to give her what she wants, and your schedule allows for it, then fine. Otherwise, this has all the earmarks of a rabbithole project.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

So basically shecwants you to turn red oak (that has a finish on it that won't be removed) into the "reclaimed" wood look that's popular on Pinterest....? Scuff, solid body stain...yes, deck stain), you cpyld even rag some off and play a little, then 2 coats of poly. (I like minwax hybrid floor poly) Done. Unconventional but it meets the pintrest look and will hold up. Id go that way before a prime and paint.


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

lilpaintchic said:


> So basically shecwants you to turn red oak (that has a finish on it that won't be removed) into the "reclaimed" wood look that's popular on Pinterest....? Scuff, solid body stain...yes, deck stain), you cpyld even rag some off and play a little, then 2 coats of poly. (I like minwax hybrid floor poly) Done. Unconventional but it meets the pintrest look and will hold up. Id go that way before a prime and paint.
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


Would there really be much difference in applying a solid stain/poly vs. a solid paint/poly?
Just curious. She's sounds a little too particular to mess it up again..Lol. I imagine your going to have to go solid or tell her to replace the railing with a new one. It's really not that expensive for a simple one like that..surprisingly.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

finishesbykevyn said:


> Would there really be much difference in applying a solid stain/poly vs. a solid paint/poly?
> Just curious. She's sounds a little too particular to mess it up again..Lol. I imagine your going to have to go solid or tell her to replace the railing with a new one. It's really not that expensive for a simple one like that..surprisingly.


The viscosity of the material. Paint 
Looks more "plasticky". And you won't need a primer as long as you give it all a real good scuff coat. It's the same system as rustoleums cabinet "restore". But it's not $75 for a quart of solid stain, some liquid deglosser and a scotchbright and a clear poly. 

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## Holdenholden (Feb 6, 2018)

If you find a solution pls post with pics and you shall be hailed a god as you’ve basically done the impossible. Matching flooring to railing. It’s an art. Getting it perfect can be done but it’s tough. They both different substrates different processes that can’t be duplicated. I’d wash and sand to bare wood and start from scratch. Then stain and shade to reach the closest match. Might be beneficial to contact the flooring manufacturer and research the color. 


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## ThreeSistersPainting (Jan 7, 2017)

Paint the rail using an off white for your base. This will coordinate with the lighter color in the grey sample.

Using a grey gel stain brush on a coat, let it dry. Brush on another. Then clear coat with your choosing. IMO


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

Most videos I've seen for jobs like that they use an oil-based gel stain like General Finishes and then top it off with a clear polyurethane.

You can darken it as much as you like or play around with the stain by wiping it off with a cloth and repeating the process for an even darker color. It's not an exact science and you can't work off an unfinished wood sample either. I wouldn't want to work with a finicky customer who wants a precise color.

Edit:

If she wants that off-gray semi-transparent stain then you'd have to strip it completely down to bare wood. The old color will always show through with translucent stains.

The more you shade the less of the grain will show. Some add stain to poly and build on top of the old color.


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## woodcoyote (Dec 30, 2012)

Need to ditch the poly. That junk isn't going to save you or help you.


You need to get a custom stain match done based off a sample stain board or if the color change isn't going to work in the right direction you need to re-stain with a faux finish. 



Just the way it goes.


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## ThreeSistersPainting (Jan 7, 2017)

Custom finishes come from spending the time to get the desired effect. Or else it would be run of the mill production work. Like it has been stated above you will need a combination of using different layers to match both color and texture.

Getting the rail to a base color (off-white) then using a glazing process with rags and brushes you could get the desired effect to match the floor. I would recommend creating a sample to match the floor and get it approved before starting on the actual rail.


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## Brilliant_Painting (Feb 3, 2017)

Mr Smith said:


> Most videos I've seen for jobs like that they use an oil-based gel stain like General Finishes and then top it off with a clear polyurethane.
> 
> You can darken it as much as you like or play around with the stain by wiping it off with a cloth and repeating the process for an even darker color. It's not an exact science and you can't work off an unfinished wood sample either. I wouldn't want to work with a finicky customer who wants a precise color.
> 
> ...


You were absolutely right! I'm finished it now fortunately she was happy with the shaded polyurethane and with it being as dark as it is now most of the wood grain is gone but we achieved the color she wanted. We didn't have time before the flooring was going in to really do anything else but strip it and then use a shaded polyurethane I would not recommend doing it that way at all. Had I more time I would have don't it differently


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## jennifertemple (Oct 30, 2011)

Brilliant_Painting said:


> I had talk to her about painting it in fact that is what i was originally supposed to do until the day before she changed her mind and said that she had found something that would keep the stained appearance but change the color still. she was happy with the color in the paint store and also the small sample i did on the railing then when i sprayed the whole thing she see's to much red and then hasn't liked it since now we are trying to repair the color. She went back to the paint store got another greyer brown that she said looked amazing at the paint store but when we put it on the already colored railing she says she sees to much blue, would a gel stain work?



Dang it! She's choosing the colors, I sure as heck hope she is paying for all the do-overs!


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