Thanks bodica, I spent some time before starting this thread in the stairs gallery. Just wondering if anyone knows if olefin would be a good choice and to see any pics of runners used is your homes.

Hi Thermsen. You must be a lot more easily embarrassed than I am. I don't love that color on your lower wall, but then, I don't hate it, either. It's just a color. Here's my advice: life's too short to be shamed by a paint choice. Which means that whether you go for the dark stain or the black paint on your hand rail, it will probably be OK. You say that the sun won't hit it much, but that when it does, it looks brown. I say if the brown were all that awful in the first place, why did you use it on your floors & cabinets? Or are you going to redo them too. It can't be all that bad. Here's the thing: you say that, with molding stained, your house was looking very traditional--almost as though that's a bad thing--but that the painted balusters give things a cleaner look, and yet, actually, the combination of white balusters & dark railing is about as traditional as you can get. If you're not sure, consult an episode of "Ozzie & Harriet". Besides, traditional & clean are not mutually exclusive. Then again, the wrapped carpet on your steps is neither "traditional" nor particularly "clean", anyway. It just is. But you can't worry about everything: you've got garland to hang. So put away the inappropriate shame over previous choices, knowing that whichever color you decide to use on your rail, it will probably be OK. After all, it's the dark-toned railing's crisp contrast against the white that matters, not the specific color you choose. Just keep repeating, It's only paint... it's only paint..."

For your question #1, the usual answer is go with hardwood over engineered, unless there is a reason not to so so (concrete sub floor to which you cannot put in fasteners, etc.). Since you mentioned Mercier, they have exceptionally nice finishes, and you can specify the sheen (or at least you could in the past). When comparing their engineered vs. pre finished hardwood in the same species and finish, you can even mix and match with no differences if you pre-arrange this with your supplier or distributor. Also, are you using an installer? You should since you are using a higher quality flooring. Your message seems to imply you are doing some of the work DIY. The difference between a DIY install and someone with years of trade/craft experience will be noticeable, IME.

An alternative idea: This probably won't work if the wainscot if a thin luan-type of sheet good. If it is real wood, it may work if the bow has some movement to it. Drive an oversized hole in the baseboard. Large enough where the diameter of the hole does not catch the threads of the screw, but small enough where the countersink of the hole still catches the screw's head. Run a deck (NOT a drywall screw) screw through the hole and if the wainscot is of sufficient thickness, the threads will grab the wainscot and pull it towards the baseboard. The patch and paint the screw holes in the baseboard.