Sanding sealer or enamel undercoater. Several coats of either, sanded a lot between coats. You want to fill all of the oak pores and level the surface. This is harder on previously-finished oak, because it's more difficult to get a filler to adhere when there's already a finish there. On new oak it's easier- you use a pore filler made for this purpose, and it sticks in the pores nicely. Grit- 180 or 220 should work. Casey

You are all so helpful and generous with your suggestions, so thank you! I've definitely come to the right place for help. :-) Amysrq, I think I agree with you that my concern over the glass railing isn't that it isn't safe, but that it wouldn't FEEL safe! I think that the mere knowledge it is glass, and glass is breakable, would make me afraid to have my kids pressing against it. Just gives me the heebie-jeebies thinking about it! And looking up at a fingerprint-covered glass railing would bug me, I already know it. SO, glass is out. Hostagrams (and everyone else with this thought), thank you for point out that the black spindles would be easy to look through, where as with wood I would almost have to look around each spindle. (Does that make sense?) It is this issue more than any other that makes me lean toward the black spindles. I don't want to block the view or the light, and I don't want to have to stand up and look OVER the railing to be able to see anything below or out the windows. Sandyponder, I LOVE your railing! Looks very cool and functional, and doesn't block the view at all. But I showed the picture to DH, and he vetoed it immediately. Not rustic enough, apparently. But thanks for the photos - it looks great! Okay, all of this leads me to the fact that I'm pretty sure that a combo of black balusters and logs is the best compromise for DH and I. The logs in the railing would tie in with the log mantel, which is important to DH. I'm thinking that something like this (which is pretty much what is in my original post) might be the best of all worlds. So did all of your great ideas and input ultimately lead me back to where I started? Well, no matter what we decide, you have all been a huge help in helping me think through this decision. So thank you! Alicia

Some great suggestions, but not based on a realistic budget which you have not said anything about. I'm in the no shutters and no balconies camp. Both are out of scale and the balusters on the balcony look more like interior country style ones than classic exterior ones. Can't really imagine what your husband is suggesting. Be sure you don't end up with a jumped up look where nothing relates to any classic style.

Maybe I should have considered having a permanent 'baby' gate put in around the time we moved into this house a year ago this month. Right now my two temporaries (one is only there because the basement is having to have restore work done following a pipe blockage leak and I don't want the dog hanging out down there) are containment fields for the dog, and I expect that the foreseeable future will have a dog or two involved. :P If we have younger children placed with us at some point, the gates would definitely be important whether temporary or permanent built-in. Currently the kiddos are 6-9/almost 10. You're lucky to have a good outcome with your stairs, if you're not planning on there being small children in the house for a considerable stretch of time, leave the gate adding to any future homeowner and save the cash for something else that might come up (or decor items?). :P