How to Refinish Stairs
Stairs often see far more abuse than many other flooring surfaces in your home because they receive a high amount of foot traffic. There are many different kinds of stairs, from stairs with basic handrails and no carpet runners to elaborate staircases with beautiful carpet runners. If you want to completely refinish your stairs, you must remove carpet runners, then sand, paint or stain the steps. You can do this as a weekend project if you're good at sanding and painting. Otherwise, expect the process to take a slightly longer. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Pry bar
- Hammer
- Orbital sander
- Block sander
- Mineral spirits
- Rags
- Stain
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Paint roller
- Urethane
- Carpet runner
Instructions
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1
Remove the carper runner from the stairs by prying it up with a pry bar. When prying, the nails will often remain in the wood and pull though the carpet. Pull all of the nails out with a claw hammer. Don't pound the nails into the wood.
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2
Sand the surfaces of the stair treads and riser plates with an orbital sander equipped with 600-grit sandpaper. For areas such as corners and around the banister slats, use a 600-grit sanding block. Ensure you have a consistent sanded finish that removes all of the previous paint or stain.
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3
Sand the finish off the banister slats and the banister handrail if you choose to paint these objects. Use a soft 600-grit sanding block. It will conform to the contours of the slats to avoid sanding rounded corners flat.
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4
Wipe down the banister, staircase and slats with a rag dampened with mineral spirits. This will remove dust from the pores of the wood and open up the wood grain.
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5
Stain or paint the wood's surface. If you paint, use a paintbrush to cover hard-to-reach areas such as corners and slats. Use a roller to paint flat surfaces such as the risers and tread plates. Use a semi-gloss interior paint. If you're staining, apply the stain to a cotton rag, then rub the stain onto the wood. Wait 30 minutes, then apply a second coat. Allow 24 hours of drying time. If you see inconsistent coloration, add a third coat.
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6
Apply a coat of urethane over the stain with a paint roller and paintbrush, if you used stain. If you used paint, forgo this step. Allow 24 hours for drying.
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Place the carpet runner over the steps. Start at the top or bottom and tack the carpet to the tread plate with carpet nails and a hammer. Wrap the carpet runner over the nose of each stair tread and tack it to the riser plate for a tight fitting carpet. Repeat this procedure as you work your way to the other end of the stairs. If you choose not to use a runner, forgo this step.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
