Opinions on stair renovation wanted.

[ollo]

We have an oak staircase with 5 steps that need to be sanded and oiled. I've looked at Osmo's hard wax oil with non-slip protection, but I'm wondering if the risers should be painted white or use Osmo wax with white pigment, or not at all and apply the same wax everywhere?
Then there are the stringers which I'm also considering, white or wax?

The idea is not to have too dark a staircase but a bit more liveliness, hence the consideration that maybe just a little white pigment in the wax would suffice?

So, some opinions would be appreciated.

Have a nice weekend

 

[TuXy]

When you generally look at stairs on Google Images, many stairs are made of oak with white stringers. Then it varies between the risers being oak or white.

Personally, I prefer only the treads to be oak and the stringer and riser white. That way, you get a lighter staircase!

 

[ollo]

Yes, it seems that white risers and stringers are the most common.

How do you go about sanding and painting a staircase that's used all day? Do you take it one step at a time and step over the one you're working on, or send the whole family away and do the entire staircase at once?

 

[TuXy]

That's a good question you're asking

Can't you remove the steps? That way you won't have to paint where there shouldn't be any color.

Otherwise, you might try taking every other step or something like you suggested.

Hard to see how steep the stairs are, but maybe you can lay wooden planks over the whole staircase that you can walk on while it dries? That is, build up a piece at the top so the staircase is free underneath.

 

[anders07]

It's going pretty well to sand on site. I did it on an old pine staircase we had. I had a B&D "mouse" from before and bought this one: http://www.jula.se/catalog/verktyg-...askiner/elektriska-bandslipar/bandfil-010137/

Make sure to have a construction vacuum cleaner with a bag so you suck away the sanding dust immediately. I took one step at a time and laid milk paper on it when it was sanded. Then it got white-pigmented wax from Osmo on...
We sold the house and moved about 6 months later, but I haven't heard any complaints that anything wore off...

 

[ollo]

Thank you for your opinions, then I will purchase everything and make sure to find some suitable days to do this on

 

[ollo]

An update after six months. Now the staircase is finished

Turned out well and approved by the family, I sent the family on a little vacation so I had time to sand and paint.

If I had known from the beginning that the old varnish was so tough and clogged the sandpaper so quickly, I probably never would have started ;-) it took about 15-20 hours of sanding and oiling.

Before.


Sanding.


Multiple layers of varnish.




Finished.


It became Osmo hard wax oil with anti-slip and white oil, I think it's called snow.