She wants the oak to be dark brown ...

[Wipedout]

My wife wants to change our stair treads from the golden oak they are now to something dark like Java. Stairs had a little stain (min wax golden oak I believe) and the three coats Waterlox original. Been at least 7 years. Waterlox worn quite a bit so they are dull. She wants them nice and dark but not paint.

Obviously they will need to stand up to traffic.

Suggestions? I'm not normally a stain guy. Waterlox is my go to. I like woods natural color. But she's my wife so ...

[Herb G]

Carpet. Seriously. Less work involved.

[Wipedout]

Not going happen

[jteneyck]

I built this balustrade and the homeowner finished it and the stair treads and risers. All the stained wood is red oak. I advised them to leave it natural but they insisted on making it dark, so I advised them to use SW oil based stain and varnish; they did and it came out very nicely, I have to admit.





They were dealing with raw wood. You aren't, but I think you're going to have to get down to wood if you want a natural look where you can still see the grain. The Waterlox is worn anyway and that would seal the decision for me. That means chemically stripping everything; it's not hard, just tedious. Kleanstrip Premium takes off varnish very easily. You may have to do it two or three times to get everything out of the pores, however. Open a window and wear PPE.

Good luck,

John

[barnowl]

Once stripped, I'd consider a dye, and Waterlox over it.

[Wipedout]

That's what I was thinking Steve. Any recommendation for dye?

[Howard Acheson]

You realize that you will nead to remove all the existing stain and finish, don't you.? If you plan to re-stain the wood you must use a chemical paint remover to ensure you get all the prior stain off the wood. Use a chemical stain remover that contains methylene chloride. It works the fastest and does the most complete job. Any residual finish will interfere with any new stain you apply causing uneven coloring.

Do not attempt to sand off the old finish. Sanding does not get the finish that has soaked into the wood leaving residual finish.

You have taken on a big job. Have you ever done anything like this before?

[jteneyck]

Dye makes a lot of sense - except Transtint (or TransFast) often won't wet properly on wood that's been stripped, or maybe I should say not stripped completely. I've had some poor results using Transtint in both water and DNA on a couple of pieces I stripped where a few areas still had some residual finish in the pores. When I switched to an oil soluble dye all was well. TEST, TEST, TEST.

John

[Sawdustd]

Dark, Java colored, risers and treads -- you gotta be jokin!! Obviously your not.
My concern is safety at nigh going down. Hope you have 100 watt bulbs in the stairwell.
Yes, I "fully" understand that when moma ain't happy, no one is. So I suggest this. Buy a sheet of Luwan ply, cut to width and length of the treads, stain and finish to "your dark color", lay them on the treads and take a look. Granted that's a bit of a do but it will be the proof in the pudding. That's a lot of work but not have half as much as stripping the existing treads and risers, staining and finishing and then discovering they are difficult to navigate at night.
And just for grins, think ahead if and when you sell the house. Dark treads and risers are NOT a selling point.
Ok, enough. Did not mean to rain on your parade. Just my 2 cents. Good luck.

Dave

[Wipedout]

Never said risers. Only treads. Risers are currently and will stay painted white