Hello All, I'm terrible with choosing paint colors and wanted to get some feedback on our basement steps. I'm leaning towards white paint for the steps and hand rail. Any other suggestions that will look decent and not show dirt as much as white? Thanks! Image link:

Hi, When I finished my cabinets I used a pore-filler so the stain would not go into the pores and add so much emphasis. The brand was called "Pore-o-pac". It takes a lot of effort to apply, but it keeps the grain tamed. Pore filler minimizes the stain's penetration in general, not just the pores, so you'll need a few more coats of stain to get it dark. Casey

you need to work with a pro who has a little creativity because your objections really shouldn't be a big deal. To keep the p/t lumber from being visible, use a stainless steel grommet in the ipe post trim with a hole bigger than the one holding the cable in the p/t post. for the cap rail, do a metal cap rail to meet code, then router a channel in the ipe and mount it to that. Done. It'll take a little bit of design time to ensure that all your proportions are right and everything ties together appropriately and structurally, but there are definitely ways to get the look you want while satisfying the permit store. Obviously not dimensionally accurate or really thought through in terms of attachments, but here's the gist.

1956 ,906sqft home in transitional neighborhood. Rails are currently stainless steel. I'm thinking may look better in black.