[lextek]

Another household project has come up. It's time to refinish the oak stairs in the foyer. Anybody every done this? I'm looking for some suggestions on the type of Polyurathane to use. Next will be a patio with built in speakers and a waterfall over the retaining wall.

 

[rickcr42]

use a palm sander and 100 grit paper to remove the old finish

next stain the stairs (if staining)

allow to dry overnight

apply a coat of minwax polyurethane

again allow to dry overnight

sand with #120 grit

apply final caot (or sand again and apply a third coat)

try not to do the poly work on an overly humid day (not easy right now in connecticut) or it could blush which is a clouding up of the finish

a good place for more tips is www.minwax.com

hope this helps

 

[lextek]

Yeah Minwax rocks. I'm thinking about there quick drying poly. Do it after dinner and should be OK by morning.

 

[Bladerunner]

I've done more flights of stairs than I care to remember ( I do hardwood flooring for a living).
And I recommend you hire a reputable pro. It's really alot more work than you think to do a good job and not screw them up. A palm sander and 100 grit will take you forever.
But if you must diy start out with some 50 or 60 grit to get the finish off ( make sure all finish is removed with the 50 grit. Everything after this point is scratch removal from the prior grit) Then go over them with 80 and then 100 or 120 grit.
Your going to have trouble doing the corners. So what you need now is a paint scraper and a file to sharpen the scraper. Scrape the corners the nosing and any other areas that still have finish on them. Now hand rub the stairs with 100 grit. Do a good job with this step especially if your going to stain them.
After you have cleaned up your mess your ready to stain and finish. Minwax or DuraSeal are good stains to use. As far as finish goes, polyurethane would be my last choice as a finish. I'd recommend Glitsa products (either Bacca or Glitsa seal for a sealer and Glitsa Gold seal as the top coat) Do 2 coats of sealer and 1 top coat, rubbing down between coats.
Hope this helps.

 

[pigmode]

We use a lot of waterbased finishs designed especially for floors. They tend to be cooler in shade than an oil based finish, much less toxic and that much friendlier for the environment. Waterbased finishes are easier for an amatuer to apply than oil. Use a pad type applicator.

 

[Bladerunner]

A waterbased finish would be my second choice. They are nice because of the ease of application but they tend to be the least durable of finishes. ( They can be easily maintained by periodic recoating.) The only place I would not use them are kitchen floors.
They're also good if you want the color of the wood as light as possible, otherwise you'll have to use a tinted waterbase sealer if your not staining.

 

[pigmode]

Good call on the prep. Since these stairs are in the foyer, I'm guessing it might just be a few steps, which is in the realm of a DIYer.

 

[lextek]

Six steps up. Six steps down. I used a foam brush to poly the railing after I stripped an bleached it.

 

[geom_tol]

I just did the floor in one of my bedrooms as a tryout. I'm going to do about 1000 sqft of floors starting in a couple weeks (including the stairs)
I used the Minwax polyurethane (semi gloss), and it was near impossible not to get alot of tiny little bubbles all over, especially using the sheepskin applicator the Home Depot guy told me was the best thing to use. I quit using that pretty soon and went with a good paint brush which was alot better.
It turned out pretty nice, but it was alot of work, I did 3 coats and had to sand between each. I did not stain, the natural color looked real good in this room, but I will stain the dining and living rooms.

If anyone has some good hints on how to tackle this it would really help. Should I skip the polyurethane on the rest of the floors and use something else?

 

[rickcr42]

Quote:

I used the Minwax polyurethane (semi gloss), and it was near impossible not to get alot of tiny little bubbles all over, especially using the sheepskin applicator the Home Depot guy told me was the best thing to use. I quit using that pretty soon and went with a good paint brush which was alot better.

DO NOT SHAKE THE CAN !

if you should happen to shake it , give it time to settle


james bond had it wrong

it is stirred not shaken