what to do with oak stair rails and newel posts
carolg76
4 years ago
We bought an 18 year old home and for the past year, have been updating it. We took out all the oak 2 1/2" flooring thru out and replaced with 4 inch white oak stained with provincial. We're happy with the floors and stairs but still have original oak on the railings and newel posts (contractor wouldn't touch). I've tried the Java gel stain with much frustration. I'm looking at painting them black but would love to have
a subtle graining look coming thru the paint. It was suggested to water down the paint, one half ratio, to get a more translucent look. Has anyone tried this or have any suggestions/advice?
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Comments (10)
K R
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Refinishing floors. What to do about Newel Post?
Comments (10)jpmom - My door, on the inside, is white. On the outside, it's navy blue. My front door is now out in the vestibule that I built...it's no longer right in front of the stairs.Still, I don't think you'd need to paint your mahogany door. The reason my spindles and newel posts were painted is because the refinisher tried to stain them, but they didn't stain like the treads and floors. They looked much darker, but not in a good way. Old wood! My floors were in bad shape, not as nice as yours. I paid $2.50/sf for refinishing, including sanding them to what looked like brand new floors. I went with walnut stain because the previous owner that lived there for 30 years had animals that had soiled the wood. We replaced a few pieces, but to get a good look throughout, I chose walnut (what I had in previous house). I have no wall-to-wall carpet anywhere. Even the upstairs bedrooms are hardwood....See MoreStarter Newell - on stair, notched into stair, or in front of stair?
Comments (8)We've been in the stair runner business for about 22 years. We've found that newel posts, particularly in a very old home may be so wide in relation to the staircase that they complicate the placement of the stair runner. That is, centering it - in a case like that, we often just hug the post with the runner allowing it to be centered on the remaining stairs. In some cases we have cut the runner material around the post - had we not the runner would be completely off-center on the remaining stairs. StairRunnerStore...See MoreWhat kind of wood, and how large of a newel post do we need?
Comments (5)What you want is a box newel post. They come in standard sizes. I suspect you'll be able to choose once you browse the sizes that are available. If you're buying a standard item to save money, you'll probably have few wood choices, the most common being Poplar and Red Oak. The stain might need to be altered somewhat to achieve a match....See MoreAdd a newell post? Switch to wood hand rails?
Comments (8)OK, you all have convinced me to eliminate the oak look of the risers. While I'm too conservative to paint them, I'm thrilled with the many options for stick on riser decals that can be readily removed, including one with the pattern I've been nuts about for ages! It's called Astra, here. BUT -- back to the newel post/handrail for the upper section of this stairway.....previous comments were that we don't have the open wall for the spindles and we have no place for a newel post. I need to understand if the change I want to make isn't feasible, when it seems to me like it should be...please helps!...See More
carolg76
4 years ago
sondramartina
4 years agoI wouldn’t paint it all white .How about black iron spindles and stain the handle bar ?
carolg76
4 years ago
PROBeth H. :
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoblack. look at General Finishes Milk Paint in lampblack. it's easy to use, satin finish, and will let your grain show. I've painted numerous pieces w/this paint. (make sure you degloss, fine sand and primer first!)
paint the risers while you're at it
carolg76
4 years ago- PRO
Beth H. :
4 years ago carolg76
4 years agotracyd70
4 years ago
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