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I'm still working out my stairs plan. I will either be refinishing the existing oak treads to putting on "overlays" and finishing those. I'm working on a tint/stain to complement the laminite flooring. Is there anything special about polyurethane for stair treads/floors? I'm assuming satin finish. Does it have to be made for floors?
It's only a dozen or so treads and risers, so brushes/rags will probably work fine
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03-11-2022, 07:58 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-11-2022, 07:59 AM by mound.)
(03-11-2022, 01:22 AM)lincmercguy Wrote: I'm still working out my stairs plan. I will either be refinishing the existing oak treads to putting on "overlays" and finishing those. I'm working on a tint/stain to complement the laminite flooring. Is there anything special about polyurethane for stair treads/floors? I'm assuming satin finish. Does it have to be made for floors?
It's only a dozen or so treads and risers, so brushes/rags will probably work fine
This past summer I had my hardwood floors (and staircase) refinished on the home I recently moved into. The guy used Minwax "Super Fast Drying Polyurethane for Floors (Professional Formula)". Two coats of gloss and then one of satin. He used brushes and rags on the treads. The poly itself wasn't tinted, they were stained first with Minwax oil based stain to get the color we wanted.
Years ago I made a new set of treads for a staircase in my then home and finished them with Waterlox before I installed them. These were walnut, I didn't stain them, but just used the waterlox for protection. That stuff held up very well with a house full of small dogs for years.
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(03-11-2022, 01:22 AM)lincmercguy Wrote: I'm still working out my stairs plan. I will either be refinishing the existing oak treads to putting on "overlays" and finishing those. I'm working on a tint/stain to complement the laminite flooring. Is there anything special about polyurethane for stair treads/floors? I'm assuming satin finish. Does it have to be made for floors?
It's only a dozen or so treads and risers, so brushes/rags will probably work fine
I'd look at
Bona Traffic HD.
John
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If you refinish, a triangular head on an oscillating tool works great in the corners. The Fein multi master is what I’ve used. A traditional paint style scraper also will work for the corners. I’m talking about the Red Devil brand styles that painters use to commonly use on old houses with peeling paint. A smooth file makes quick work of sharpening and touching up the edge.
I would not tint your clear coat if possible. Color the wood and keep your top coating clear.
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"I would not tint your clear coat if possible. Color the wood and keep your top coating clear."
That was my thought, my usual method of tint, then stain, then clear. A tinted clear could lose color as it wears.
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another vote for
Bona Traffic HD. thats what I used on my stairs.
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I used Parks water based poly from HD on my oak stairs. Satin finish. MD is a low VOC state so we can't get solvent based here. That being said... I really like the stuff and have used it on several things including new wood Pella windows. It does look good but it really needs several coats. The stairs have been in a couple years now and no signs of wear. The downside is that it takes 6 coats. Once you get to about the 4th coat, it really looks good. Had my doubts before the 4th coat. The upside is you can re-coat in 45 minutes with a light scuff between coats. I used 320 grit. It dries a goot bit faster than solvent based. I've used a good quality brush and I've used cheap foam brushes. The cheap foam brushes do a much better job but they do we out so get a few extas. They're cheaper at Walmat than HD... about half. Looks lie the same brush to me.
The 1st coat will raise the grain so it will need the most sanding but after that, no grain raise. They recommend a sanding sealer but the stuff I had is solvent based and says "not recommended for water based poly". So I had to rely on the 1st coat for a sealer. I did use a water based sealer on the stairs but it also raised the grain. Might as well just use the poly to seal.
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When using a WB topcoat, a coat of Sealcoat shellac first will greatly reduce grain raising. It also imparts a warm tint which often is beneficial.
John
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The Bona "Traffic" works quite well. I have a fairly soft flooring, circular sawn Duglas fir. I lightly sanded the flooring, stained with oil base. Then 2 coats of Bona "Mega" the 2 coats of Bona "Traffic. The only place that shows any wear is the stair treads, also DF. It is the dogs nails that do the damage and the soft wood. I just poured the Bona on the floor and squegged the liquid over the floor. Very little odor when drying.
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"Years ago I made a new set of treads for a staircase in my then home and finished them with Waterlox before I installed them. These were walnut, I didn't stain them, but just used the waterlox for protection. That stuff held up very well with a house full of small dogs for years."
I bet those looked really nice. I've grown fond of walnut, it's just so expensive here.
