Natural Wood

Can anyone provide instructions on how to stain (finish) a natural wood railing (banister)?

including tips on preparation; type of sand paper to use; 10 points to the most helpful description and tips!
Thank you. But what if requires stripping an old finish?

I am assuming that the banister is unfinished and that this is not going to require stripping an old finish. I am an experienced furniture/cabinet builder and trim carpenter. There are 2 ways that you could tackle this project in my opinion that will give good lasting results. I am assuming the hand rail is a hardwood such as oak, etc.

First begin by sanding. It shouldnt be very rough if it is a new rail from the milling process and has already been sanded but all the same a good finish requires you to take the appropriate steps. Sand the rail by hand to insure that you get into the profiles milled into the rail. Sand progressively with 80 or 100 grit sandpaper moving thru 150 grit and finally 220 grit. After sanding its time to clean up the dust left behind.
I personally am not a fan of using tack cloth for clean up. I prefer to use a cotton cloth with mineral spirits (paint thinner) to clean up. This removes the dust adequately and has one big advantage over a tack cloth, it will highlight any small scratches, etc. that you may miss until you apply the finish. Touch up any scratches you may have found, clean the area in the same manner as before and allow to dry completely. Mineral spirits will evaporate quickly, but to be safe take a break for a couple hours. Ok now on to the finishing process.

Two finishing processes will provide long lasting results. Which you choose will largely be based on how you plan to maintain the finish and your comfort level in using the processes. To begin with lets determine if the rail is a hardwood or softwood. If it is a softwood or porous wood such as pine, maple, spruce, or alder I would highly recommend using a pre-finish conditioner such as Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner. This product will help to insure an even rate of absorption of the stain. Softwoods and porous woods tend to leave a blotchy appearance if not pre conditioned. Follow the instructions that come with the product, it is easily applied by brush and excess wiped away with a clean cloth.

Staining is going to be the easiest part of this project and the fastest to do. I recommend using a good quality product such as minwax, I generally will stay away from store brands as I have found that they are sometimes not uniform in color from can to can. I also prefer oil based stains to water based. Water based stains will tend to “raise” the wood grain especially on soft and porous woods leaving a “fuzzy” feel that would require an additional sanding step. Also oil based stains provide an additional layer of protection. Apply the stain evenly with a cotton cloth, an old t-shirt works well. Begin by applying and continue working from “wet to dry”. Have several clean clothes handy and dont forget to protect surrounding surfaces that you dont want stained. Once again follow the instructions with the product, this is an easy process. You may need a second application of stain depending on how it looks, but a second application is not required. Now allow your stain to dry completely, 8 hours or longer depending on humidity and temperature. Now lets move on to the final step.

You could use a urethane or spar varnish at this point. These are excellent finishes and are extremly durable. There are several drawbacks to these finishes however and I will discuss them later. What I would recommend at this point is to use a quality Tung Oil finish. For interior surfaces that do not need a hard topical finish, tung oil is excellent. It will accentuate the wood grain and leaves a beautiful lustre. It will be somewhat time consuming to apply as you need 3 or 4 coats. Apply the tung oil with a cotton cloth in the same way you applied the stain working from wet to dry and applying in an even coat. Allow to dry for 5-10 minutes and then buff with a clean cloth. Recoat after 24 hours. Once you have applied your final coat wait 24 hours before using the handrail. As an additional step once the tung oil has dried you could apply one or two coats of finishing paste wax.

Finishing wax will leave a dry hard protective layer on the wood. You apply the wax much the same way you do a car wax. Apply the wax in the direction of the grain, allow to dry and then buff with a clean cloth. From here all that is needed is occasional dusting with a quality furniture polish of your choice and your banister will look great for many years.

Ok, I meantioned using a urethane product as an alternative to the tung oil. Urethane products give very durable and lasting finishes that normally require less maintenance than my tung oil suggestion. The biggest drawback with urethane products is they can be difficult to work with if you are inexperienced in wood finishing. This isnt to say that you cant do a good job with urethane, but it will take time and patience on your part. If you do decide on urethane follow these directions closely.

You will have choices of gloss, semi-gloss, and satin finish. I would choose either semi-gloss or satin, but this is just my preference. I do not like a glossy finish in most cases.

Try to determine as best you can how much product you will need and have it on hand. One quart will most likely be sufficient but have a second quart ready just in case. You can always take it back to the store if you didnt open it and you dont want to find yourself part way throught the job and running out of product.

Once you are sure the stain is dry use a tack cloth, yes now you can use the tack cloth, to wipe away any dust from the surface of the wood. You want the wood to be clean as possible or what is left behind is trapped beneath the surface of the urethane.

Prepare the can of urethane by carefully stirring the product with a clean stirring stick. Do not shake a can of urethane, this creates air bubbles in the product that cannot be eliminated and will leave a rough surface once it is dry. You will most likely notice a gooey substance at the bottom of the can, this is the solids in the product that have fallen out of suspension with the solvents. You must get the solids thouroughly mixed with the solvent until you can no longer scrape any more of this goo with your paint stirrer. Stir with an easy, slow motion from bottom of can to top. Once it is stirred you may begin application.

Use a good quality natural bristle brush to apply. Dont cheap out on the brush go ahead and spend the 5- 10 bucks for a good one, it will make the job much easier. Have mineral spirits on hand for clean up as well.

Dip your brush into the urethane about a 1/4 inch or so. Be careful not to apply too much at one time or you will get runs and excessive brush marks. Work from one end of the rail to the other brushing on the urethane in the direction of the grain. It is best to apply in one direction only and make as few brush strokes as is needed to apply the product. This will lessen the number of air bubbles in the finish. Again work from wet to dry leaving a thin, even coat. Do not get in a hurry and try to apply a heavy coat, this will give poor results with visible brush marks. Several thin coats is necessary.

Allow the first coat to dry completely, 4-6 hours, or longer. You will then need to smooth the surface with 000 or 0000 steel wool or as is my preference 600 grit sandpaper dry and then wipe with a dry tack cloth. This will smooth the surface, removing the rough areas caused by air bubbles and will prep for the next coat. Do this each time and apply 2-3 coats. Once the final coat is dry buff the surface lightly with 0000 steel wool.

Remember when sanding between coats the goal is not to remove a significant amount of urethane, but to smooth the surface. Sand lightly by hand checking the surface for smoothness by feeling with you hand. Always wipe the surface between coats to remove dust created from sanding. If you have been patient and used thin even coats you should now realize a beautiful finish that will last for years.

One more alternative is to use a wipe on polyurethane product. I have little experience with this but what I do know is that it is thinner than a brush on product and easier to apply. It is applied using a lint-free cloth and rubbed on by hand. Otherwise the steps with this product are the same as using a brush applied urethane.

Now clean up your expensive brush to save for the next project and enjoy your finished banister.

UPdate to your additional question: Jan 12, 2006 at 8:14 am
Thank you. But what if requires stripping an old finish?

Formby’s makes a variety of fine products for refinishing wood. For varnish, lacquer and shellac use Formby’s Furniture Refinisher. For paint and polyurethane use Formby’s Paint & Poly Remover.

Apply the appropriate product and allow to stand about 15-20 minutes or according to directions with the product. Then you can use a plastic scraper to remove the finish. You may also need to use scrubbing pads. Then clean up is usually done with mineral spirits, or acetone. Again consult the products instructions for proper clean up. There is also a product that smells like oranges that I have found that works very well and its label says that it is safe and non-toxic. I cannot remember the name of the product but you can find it in Wal-Marts, hardware stores in the paint section and home centers. Once you are done stripping the old finish and have cleaned the wood properly you can then proceed with sanding and finishing processes above. Note that if the wood was previously stained you may not be able to remove all of the stain from the areas where deeper grain exists in the wood. Wiping with acetone or mineral spirits and sanding will remove much of the old stain.

A note of caution, whenever using any of the stripping, staining and finishing products please allow for adequate ventilation as these products all produce fumes and beware that some of the fumes may be flammable. No smoking or open flames nearby while there are fumes. Also where eye protection to guard against splashes. Vinyl gloves to protect your hands is also advisable even with non-toxic products as many of the chemicals can be harsh to the skin or cause allergic reactions, as well as long term exposure posing a risk of cancer. Always protect other surfaces with drop clothes, painters tape, etc. Hope this helps, enjoy your project.

Natural Wood-Philia in B

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