Make sure you apply wood conditioner beforehand and leave it for 15 minutes as this will stop the wood blotching :)

We are about to do this once we finish painting. See http://southernhospitalityblog.com/polyshades-stain-project/ for a blogger's take on it (another poster here, Addy, shared this with me when I mentioned wanting to do something with our stair railing).

The blogger said she didn't sand or prime the wood at all, but when we tried it on a sample piece of wood (chair rail remnant we removed), it looked a little streaky so we are sanding off the top coat before applying the Polyshades.

1) Thank you for the link!

2) Hmm. I am a tad suspicious of her process because she didn't sand. My rail is very visible in my living area and I could not stand to have splotchy or streaky areas. I'm cross-posting in woodworking and hoping someone will have more advice.

The thread you may be thinking of was "My Friend's B & A entry staircase" posted by chijim. I don't know how to link the old entry to this thread, but I was able to find it. It was a memorable Before and After!

what wood is the hand/stair rail, if it is oak, walnut or mahogany you will not need a conditioner? I would use a gel stain which will give you an even color coat, then finish off with a polyurethane or varnish top coat. Stay away from the Polyshades, as it is hard to get a good finish, i.e. the more coats you use the muddier the finish gets.

I wish I would've tried to stain mine (at least the treads) but I didn't feel like sanding many layers of lacquer off first. I went with paint instead.

I agree you don't need a conditioner unless it's pine.

I'd sand it up and use Minwax oil based stain and seal with Minwax oil based poly. I've heard good things about the brand General Finishes but don't have easy access to it so never tried it.

The only thing with Minwax stain is I've heard people complain they couldn't get the railing dark enough.

The blog Centsational Girl used a stain and then went over it with acrylic craft paint to deepen the color. I think it looks nice but honestly, with the paint over the stain, it looks just like my painted railing done in SW Woodsy Brown.

Centsationalgirl - stairs complete - showing different brands of stain.
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2010/10/finished-staircase/#more-12377

Here is a link that might be useful: Centsationalgirl stairs part 1

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.

Thank you all for those replies.

amj, that B&A staircase was amazing, and just wow. Totally highlights why I want the darker rails, even on my humble stairs. But that wasn't the thread I remembered, which was posted by the person (woman?) who was actually doing the work on her own staircase (as I recall).

sloyd, I'm not sure what the wood is, but I know it isn't oak, walnut or mahogany. My guess is maple or poplar. Very little grain/texture to it at all, it's the blandest-looking wood on earth.

sheesharee--Censational girl got the look I want but I don't know if I trust myself to glaze with craft paint. Since my rail doesn't have all that grain pattern that oak does, I'm hoping the stain alone will get me there.

Marcolo--what is the benefit of the water-based poly, and in hindsight was it worth the extra step of the dewaxed shellac? I am not a great refinisher and I think the fewer steps the better, but at the same time I don't want to have to do it all again a few years from now. I want the poly to last.

Ease of use. It's easier than wiping on furniture polish. But I later realized I should've done many more coats. So perhaps that cancels it out a bit.

Oops. Just as I was hitting send I realized my goof "you're" should be "your".