Hi, When I finished my cabinets I used a pore-filler so the stain would not go into the pores and add so much emphasis. The brand was called "Pore-o-pac". It takes a lot of effort to apply, but it keeps the grain tamed. Pore filler minimizes the stain's penetration in general, not just the pores, so you'll need a few more coats of stain to get it dark. Casey

I did it, on a banister that hadn't been refinished since 1924. I thought I was going to still be doing it, until the day I died. I'd love to give you advice but the trauma has affected my memory. What I can remember is: - Sanding to death. You need to waste a lot of money at the sandpaper store, not only because you have to keep decreasing grit (I started rough, taking off thick old varnish) but you'll need to experiment with various sanding sponges and other doo-dads to find one that fits into the little intricate details. - Dampening and re-sanding - Applying a wood conditioner. I was staining oak. One thing to understand about a staircase like the one in the Centsational (that name!) blog is that the surface is many different grains of wood--edge, end--depending on where the curve hits it. You want these to blend. - Staining; I think I used Zar and it was plenty dark. Don't rub off too much - Dewaxed shellac; I wanted to use a water-based poly (long story) so I needed a barrier between the oil based stain and the water-based poly - Wipe-on poly. Here I either would've used something different or done more coats. Other work was going on in the house, though, so my work got cut off. HTH.

I like the first one in the second grouping. The top of the newel post looks a little darker. It looks wonderful with the lighter floor. I also wouldn't worry about the spindles, I think yours are lovely, I have a lot of mission stuff in my house mixed with Traditional and it looks good to me. The goose...I know you didn't ask, but here's some staining advise. Try mixing Minwax English Chestnut and Minwax golden Pecan buy the smallest cans (oil based) start with 3 parts English Chestnut and 1 part Golden Pecan, and adjust from there...if you want it darker add more Chestnut, if you want it lighter add more Pecan... Your newel post looks to be either cherry or Quarter-sawn white oak...when trying the stain on your wood sample scraps be sure to try it on the same wood as your newel post. If you're interested, I can show you samples of this stain on wood pieces in my house, it looks very much like the color squirrel posted in the first photo. Joann

Thank you Saypoint. Oh I like those brackets much better than my white ones and prefer without the wall plate. I like your newel too. Have you ever had a shirt (darn hoodie or comfy sweater pockets) get caught up on the rail? It might just be a me issue with my kitchen cabinet knobs and my short height! I'm wondering now why we have the railing going into wall plates. Do you think it has anything to do with extra support because my railing is so long? Actually the bottom of rail is directly into the wall. This one looks a little thicker than mine. If I'm going to keep the same spindles with the square I'm assuming I should repeat the square part in the newel. Saypoint I really like your newel paired with those spindles. I think I prefer that over the blockiness (is that a word?) of what I have going on currently.