A coat of paint and darker floors made the stairs look 'tired'. Ideas?
Florigina
3 years ago
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Florigina
3 years agopetula67
3 years agoRelated Discussions
HELP! How many coats of poly for new hardwood floors?
Comments (19)Don't forget that it also depends on the type of wood you have...some take stain better than others...I have red oak... I decided to do English Chestnut. In theory I love a dark floor but I worried about dust and maintenance and scratches showing. Another BIG factor was that I always do very dark funiture...so I wanted some contrast....The color did come out a little lighter than I thought, but I definitely don't think it's red bc I hate reddish floors...I'd say it's a nice medium, neutral tone...the dark tones really work well with the dark furniture. Here are some pix: This is when we first moved in...with our temporary old loveseat and rug, etc..it looks pathetic LOL..but it shows the floor with natural light which is how it usually looks...oh, it's a satin finish top coat...See MoreStain and paint my stairs!?
Comments (31)Hi Alisha, I did read it near the beginning. Can't now remember why I didn't reply. Something must have distracted me. Anyway this should be a fairly easy, as in compared to refinishing older wood, to do. It still will be very time consuming whether you paint, stain or a combination of both. I love the idea of the rails being stained darker with the spindles painted white. Always reminds me of my Aunt Hazel's beautiful home and open stairway. wish I had pictures of her home inside and out. I'd recommend you use either Liquid sandpaper* or Klean Strip brand Refinisher. Liquid Sandpaper is waterbased, has a mild smell. Klean Strip brand Refinisher is more potent, but less so than name brands such as Minwax or Formby's. And it cost less. It's water clean up, but not waterbased. With both make sure to use it in a well ventilated area. Wear chemical resistant gloves and splash goggles. Have lots of rags on hand for LS and 0000 steel wool for KSR. Goodwill sells large sized bags of old T-shirts/rags for much less than you can buy in the store or if you don't have enough of your own old Ts. Follow directions carefully on can of either LS or KSR. *If you choose to use LS (I would) I'd recommend using Cabots Polystain or Minwax Woodsheen. Both are waterbased so easy clean up and less odor. Oil based stains can be used if you prefer and I'd recommend using them if you chose KSR though I use waterbased whenever I can. It's not always possible or desirable though. I hope this helps. If you have any questions don't be afraid to ask. I'll be glad to help. (I'm going to copy and paste this to the Garden Web incase it might help others. ~Becky...See MoreI'm Tired of Over Decorating for Christmas...Looking To You!
Comments (49)Another here who has both scaled down and clarified my decorating for the holidays. I realized a few years ago that 1) I don't even LIKE red and green(!) 2) living in subtropical Florida the entire classic theme of snowmen, reindeer, frosty whatever was completely irrelevant to our life 3) my passion in decorating and in life is to celebrate the natural beauty and grace of what *is* in this area, ie shells, driftwood, sand and the loveliness of what surrounds us. So...I went through my boxes of stuff collected almost at random through the years and tossed/gave away all of it. Then over the course of several post-holiday sale seasons I zeroed in on what I truly wanted. My colors for decorating are now silver and white-period. I had always done my tree (natural, thankyouverymuch, I had enough of those fakes growing up :), with tropical and nautical ornaments so that was already in place. But I switched from multicolored blinking lights-my husband used to call them my "eat at Joe's Diner" holiday lighting. Now it's clear lights that read white, along with only white/light colored ornaments, silver and glass balls and that is it. No tinsel, no green or red ornaments. Well, a very few special sentimental things like picture ornaments of my kids when they were young. But otherwise, silver, white and tropical tree. As for decorating, I several sparkly gift baskets with shells, one basket of pine cones with a pretty holiday bow on top, pillar candles with some white garlands, a basket spray painted white with glass ornaments heaped, a shell wreath at the front door and a hurricane candle with a garland on top of a silver runner on the dining room table. It's enough. As my daughter commented yesterday when I finished 'Mom, it looks so elegant and classy'. I also splurged this year on a bunch of half-price Bath and Body Works aromatherapy diffusers with holiday scents. So now in the evening I sit in my peaceful LR, watching my beautiful tree, surrounded by my serene and minimal decorating and inhaling the gentle scent of cinnamon, vanilla and balsam--yes I put in all those scents around the living area. And I love it! Ann...See MoreWhite oak stair caps stained to match floor turned yellow.
Comments (9)OK...first things first. Water based finishes (not oil modified = cheaper) do NOT amber over time. White oak has a history of TANNIN PULL when water based finishes have been used. White Oak tannin pull = light yellow+ green tints. The 'guy' who left his wood 'natural' used an oil based finish. I guarantee it. In the wood flooring industry the word 'natural' means "no stain + oil based finish". That is the 'natural look' of wood that 98.97% of wood professionals BELIEVE to be 'natural'. What you are describing is, in the wood industry, referred to as 'raw'. Which would work PERFECTLY with your wood flooring. Sadly, the words you used (not your fault...just the way you described raw looking wood as natural) are not the words used in the wood industry. The issue is the YELLOW. The 'ambering' is coming from oil based (aka. solvent based finishes that STINK to high-heaven) products. A full-on water based finish will NEVER amber. A WOOD WORKER will know this. A painter will not. Lacquer is a way of saying oil based. Oil based turns orange all by itself. The painter, by saying 'lacquer' is saying 'oil based' will not turn yellow. Which is completely false. Sorry but it is the truth (assuming the lacquer is an oil based finish). In short, you can have this redone by using a wood professional who KNOWS what the look is that you are after. They will need to know you WANT water based finishes (not oil, not oil modified) used. You WANT a sealant used to PREVENT tannin pull on white oak. You will pay for all of these high-end products and the cost of the redo. It is entirely possible to get this done using a wood working or a WOOD flooring professional (flooring guys HATE stairs...as in HATE being to soft a word...). My question becomes: why is a painter refinishing stairs? It is considered WELL outside their job description (despite their protests to the contrary!)....See Moretpliska
3 years agoFlorigina
3 years agopetula67
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoHALLETT & Co.
3 years agoA M
3 years agoajrmcr
3 years agotedbixby
3 years agoJennifer
3 years agocat_ky
3 years agoFlorigina
3 years agobtydrvn
3 years agoBrown Dog
3 years agoFlorigina
3 years agotedbixby
3 years agoFlorigina
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoFlorigina
3 years agotedbixby
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoFlorigina
3 years agotedbixby
3 years ago
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