that's a good question but I was highly doubtful there's wood underneath as the footboard trim seems to be just on the banister... I do love the black and white but for this house we are going for more Coastal / the Sea Ranch 5 so hoping for something a bit more organic... if we do we finish the stairs what kind of service person does that work? our painter was not interested!

Hi all, I am working on refinishing a banister and am looking for advice on the right approach to the project. Starting Point The banister currently is covered by paint on the lower portions and balusters and sealed varnish on the handrail. There are nicks, small areas of damage, and larger gouges in the handrail that will need to be filled or addressed in some way. Section of banister pre-work Example of gouge (post vanish removal) that was previously filled in with mismatched filler Objective My goal is to repaint everything that is currently brown to white and revarnish the handrails to a lighter color (if possible, open question). I'd also like to repair the minor damage and gouges in a way that minimizes being able to see these imperfections in the final state. Recommended Process I've been told to use a stripper to remove the paint and the varnish which I've mostly completed for one section of the banister that you can see below. In general, the process I've been told to follow is: (1) Strip away what's there (2) Clean any residual material with a scrubbing pad or metal brush (3) Sand everything (120 grit) For the portion of the banister to be painted (4) Perform repairs where needed (5) Prime everything that will be repainted (6) Sand again (240 grit) (7) Paint For the portion of the banister to be varnished (handrail) (4) Perform repairs where needed (5) Sand again (240 grit) (6) Paint Current state of the first banister length I'm working on stripping Open Questions (the first batch) Any input on the process outlined above in terms of how to go about this project or the order of operations? My biggest challenge thus far are the small details and features (as small as a quarter-inch of working space in some areas). I can deal with that for the current stripping process but when it comes to sanding, how can I efficiently sand this down while dealing with those details. All the automatic sanders I've seen are too big for the job, are there other tools I could use for this? Thank you for any input or ideas!

I'm seeking advice on what color to stain/paint my banister rails. The carpet in the photo is staying for now (may refinish stairs), but the downstairs flooring is being replaced with Coretec Spirit Oak (see photo). The walls will be painted SW Zurich White (see photo), and the trim, doors, cabinets, etc. will be painted SW Pure White. I will likely paint the spindles SW Pure White, but I'm wondering if I should stain the rails light to match the floors or dark for contrast? I thought about staining them to match the exposed beams (see photo) in two rooms of the home, but those rooms aren't within view of the stairs, so I'm not sure it matter. I welcome any and all advice.

Hard to tell the paint type, you will need to sand and prime whichever you choose. Oil would be best for wood. But the prep is key. As for color, I would go with the matte dark charcoal over black so that it is not so stark against the tile/ flooring. Good luck!