How to Stain an Oak Staircase

Use stain to enhance an oak staircase's natural color.

Oak is a common open-grained wood that responds well to staining. If you want to enhance or darken the natural tone of an oak staircase, you can make your own stain or purchase a premade stain. When working with new, unfinished oak, you can mix paste wood filler with the stain to prevent the open grains from collecting dust. Since older staircases probably have been filled already, you can put the stain directly on the wood.

Things You'll Need

• Denatured alcohol
• Paste filler
• Self-sealing pigmented oil stain OR oil paints, linseed oil and Japan drier
• Turpentine
• Lint-free nylon cloth
• Tack rag
• Short, stiff-bristle paintbrush

Instructions

Making Your Own Stain

1. Select the right oil paints for your wood. For a dark oak, mix 1 part burnt umber with 4 parts raw sienna. For a light oak, mix 4 parts raw sienna with 1 part raw umber. Alter proportions and colors according to your personal taste.

2. Mix your oil paints with 2 parts linseed oil, 2 parts gum turpentine and ½ part Japan drier to make a stain.

3. Store your stain in an airtight container. Write down your paint colors and proportions for future reference.

Staining With Paste Filler

1. Clean your wood surface with a rag saturated with denatured alcohol, and allow the surface to dry.

2. Stir paste filler in its container until it is smooth.

3. Mix 1½ cups of filler with 1 cup of stain, and stir until well combined.

4. Paint stain on your staircase with your stiff-bristle paintbrush. Brush first with the grain and then across the grain. Wait 10 to 15 minutes for the stain to dry.

5. Drag your fingernail across the surface. If it is dry, the excess stain and paste should form a ball. If it doesn't, wait a few minutes for the stain to dry some more, and test again. When the stain is dry, wipe off the excess with a lint-free nylon cloth.

6. Lightly wipe the wood along the grain with a lint-free nylon cloth. For a smoother surface, paint two or three additional coats of stain using the same techniques you used with the first coat.

Without Paste Filler

1. Pretest stain on a hidden area of your staircase such as under the railing or under a stair. If the color is too dark, add turpentine to thin and lighten the stain. If the color is too light, choose a darker stain or add a small amount of oil paint.

2. Wipe the wood with a tack rag along the grain. Apply stain to a lint-free nylon cloth, and wipe it liberally and uniformly on your wood along the grain.

3. Wipe off extra stain before it dries. After you wipe, let it dry for 24 hours.

4. Wipe the wood with a tack rag along the grain.

References

• University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service: Wood Finishing: Stains, Sealers and Fillers
• Utah State University Cooperative Extension: Sealing, Staining and Filling