Real Projects

After buying an 85 year old farmhouse, Cher and her husband David couldn't wait to start making it their own. The first item on their list of things to renovate was the old wooden staircase. It had 5 layers of paint on both the treads (top part) and the risers (vertical part). The treads were black and the risers were green with stenciling. To brighten up the space they chose to paint the risers white and to stain the treads a dark brown to match the banister. The process was challenging but the end product was well worth the effort.

How they did it - Refinishing Treads and Risers

Materials

• Heat Gun
• Hand scraper (carbide steel is best)
• Hand Sander and various grades of sandpaper (they bought a Bosch orbital sander)
• Wood Conditioner (found at any paint store)
• Wood Stain (they used "Danish Walnut" from Benjamin Moore)
• A pack of cloths
• Varnish (they used "Glossy" varnish by Varathane)
• Wet sandpaper
• Paint Brush
• Paint for risers (they used "Strong White" by Farrow & Ball)

General Overview

Refinishing old stairs can add a great deal of charm to a drab hallway. Give yourself 4-6 weekends to complete the process.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Test paint for lead
   About two-thirds of the homes built before 1940 and one-half of the homes built from 1940 to 1960 contain leaded paint. You can buy a lead testing kit from any home renovation or paint store for about $15-25 US. If your paint tests positive for lead, DO NOT PROCEED. You must hire a professional to properly remove and dispose of lead paint.
2. Strip old paint
   After trying every possible method for stripping paint (chemicals, scraping, heat gun), Cher found a heat gun and scraper to be the most effective and the least messy. Hold the heat gun 2 inches from the paint and wait until it starts to bubble. Then use the scraper to peel it away.
   
   
3. Repair any problems
   If you have any treads that need replacing or fixing, now is the time to do it. The treads on Cher and David's stairs had several major gauges and some exposed nail heads. They chose to leave them as it gives the stairs some character. Any questions about specific repairs can be posted in the Discussion Boards.
4. Sand Treads
   Use an electric orbital sander to sand down scratches and any remaining paint from the treads. You will need to sand 3-4 times, starting with a course sandpaper and working your way down to a fine sandpaper in the last sanding. You should now have a smooth surface.
   
   
5. Condition Wood
   Wood typically needs to be conditioned before staining to ensure the stain applies evenly. Just brush on the wood conditioner and wait for it to dry. After it has dried, check to see if the grain has risen (the surface of the wood no longer feels smooth). If this has happened, you will need to do a light sanding to get it smooth again.
6. Stain Treads
   Patiently apply the stain by hand using a cloth. Start with a new cloth for each tread. Cher and David applied 4 coats to each tread to get a dark color. Depending on your wood, the stain will react differently. Experiment on the TOP stair as it's the least likely to get noticed if mistakes are made.
   
   
7. Varnish Treads
   Using a good paint brush (there are special ones for varnishing), very slowly apply 3-4 coats of varnish to each tread. This is a high traffic area so the more coats, the better.
   
   The first coat should be thinned out with some water and your focus should be on getting good coverage. For the remaining coats you need to focus on getting smooth, bubble-free surface. In between each coat lightly sand down any bumps with wet sandpaper (dip sandpaper in water and glide it over the surface).
   
   The trick to applying varnish is to avoid creating bubbles. Use long, slow strokes to pull bubbles to the edges. Also, do not vigorously stir the varnish and do not wipe your brush on the edge of the paint can, they both cause bubbles.
   
   
8. Paint Risers
   After covering up your nicely stained treads, paint the risers and install finishing moldings (see below).
   
   

How they did it - Installing Finishing Moldings

Materials

• Finishing Molding
• Finishing Nails
• Hammer/Nailset/Drill OR Brad Nailer OR Nail Gun
• Mitre Saw (they have a 10" compound mitre saw by Makita)
• Measuring Tape
• Wax crayon or Putty to fill holes

General Overview

After finishing everything you want to do to your stair treads and risers, you can install decorative molding to either the top or bottom of the riser.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Paint and cut the molding pieces
   Paint all the moldings before cutting them. Measure EACH stair width (don't assume they're all the same) and cut moldings to size using a mitre saw.
   
   
2. Nail the moldings to the risers
   Using a Nail Gun or Brad Nailer is the simplest way of doing this, however, if you don't have either of those, there is a cheap way of achieving the same goal. Drill a small hole in the molding where you want the nail to go. Then use the hammer to get the nail most of the way in. Then use the Nailset to indent the nail below the surface of the wood.
   
   
3. Fill and paint the nail holes
   All your nails should be in place now and they should be inset in the molding. Use a wax crayon (at home renovation stores) or putty to fill the holes and then paint over when dry.
   
   

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