bannister / handrail prep ? stain ? varnish ?

[martinlondon]

Hello everyone , we have bought a house and are now giving the house some tlc , our bannister/handrail needs some tlc to say the least.

How can I tell if this has been stained or varnished?

How do I prepare it and get it back to a good and even finish especially as both caps are worn.

Do I stain ? or varnish as this is confusing me ?

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[blightymam]

If they are is such a bad condition, where the varnish/stain on there is uneven and patchy all over, then to do the very best of jobs you should sand it back to bare wood (long job) and either stain it again then varnish with clear to protect it, or use varnish with stain in it (combined product). This would give the best finish and it will look as near new as you can get done well - and would last you years.

The problem with not sanding it back is you may end up with uneven patches of the new colour you put on, as it will either not sink in evenly in the case of stain, or not quite blend in with the colour left behind if you use coloured or clear varnish.

Or of course, you could just paint it!!!

Good luck with the new house project!

 

[misterhelpful]

Stains are absorbed deeper into the wood so sanding won't really take away a lot of the colour. Varnishes/combined stains sit more on the surface, but are still somewhat absorbed into the wood. Best way to tell is to remove as much as you can on a small section and see how deeply it is absorbed.

Bear in mind that you can't really lighten the colour of a stain unless you go through a bleaching process first - more trouble than it's worth in most cases - so hopefully you are planning on going darker.

 

[martinlondon]

Hi , as I have sanded down the handrail with 240 the colour starts to disappear , so I take it has probably been stained/varnished in the past , can I use Sadolin Extra Durable Woodstain Semi-Gloss Finish Mahogany 1Ltr on the stairs , as this is a varnish/stain oil , thanks for the replies guys

http://www.screwfix.com/p/sadolin-e...d Decorating&gclid=CJit2frqkcUCFQn3wgodP4EA4g