What paint for wooden bannister

[OM2]

I need to paint our bannisters.
Just wondering what paint is needed?
What we have right now has become soiled and grans stains.

We had painted 2 years ago.
Before that... What we had was great and never got stains.
I'm guessing the painter we used, used the wrong paint?

 

[JohnD]

oil gloss.

 

[OM2]

oil gloss.

Can I clean the existing surface and paint over?
Or do I need to sand down?

+ how long does it take to dry?

Thanks

 

[JohnD]

you'll need to sand it. If the old paint is water based it may not sand well and may form balls that have to be scraped away back to bare wood.

IMO for the most durable finish, you need an oil-based system of primer, undercoat and gloss topcoat. It's seldom necessary for indoor work, but, as you've seen, stairway handrails need a really good finish, and a strong colour may stay bright better than white. Same for your front door. You can do the spindles and other parts to a lower standard as they don't get the handling and are not on full display.

Fashionable eggshell isn't up to it.

primer and undercoat will dry overnight (check the instructions, might say 16 hours) but for gloss allow longer. It can be marked by scuffs and fingernails for a week or so. Thick coats, or wet-on-wet, do not dry well.