One of the most important parts of a home is the stairs. They are not only one of the most important elements but they also add to your home décor. Stairs can enhance the look of your property when they are well maintained. To stain the stair nose is one of the best ways to do so. The stair nose is the rounded edge of the stair. This part is prone to damage and sees majority of the footfall. You need to protect it and staining is the best option to do so. You may have a number of options when it comes to staining but oil based staining works best and offers adequate protection to your stair which penetrates deep into the pores where it protects and hardens from the inside out. It takes a little longer to dry, but the added protection from this type of stain is well worth it. However, you need to carefully carry out the staining to make sure that the stairs don’t turn slippery, as this may lead to accidents.
Step by Step Staining Process
Things You Will Need
• Sandpaper, 100-grit
• Hand block
• Staining sponge
• Danish oil stain
• Cloth
This job is easy and can be performed without any assistance. You would need Staining sponge, Sandpaper, Hand block, Danish oil stain and some pieces of Dry Cloth to get on with the job.
• Begin by sanding the stair nose and the rest of the stair tread with a hand block that is wrapped around by 100-grit sandpaper that ensures even sanding. Do not use sandpaper lighter than 100-grit as this can cause the stairs to be slippery. To make the nose of the tread smooth, run the sandpaper parallel along the tread’s front that would allow you to blend and round the edges.
• Wipe the stair nose with staining oil in the next step. For this, you need to use Danish oil which comes in a variety of colours. Opt for darker shades as they look best on treads and stair nose. Slowly wet the nose and the stair tread by dipping a staining sponge in a can of Danish stain oil. Make sure you are covering the complete area and let the oil remain for about five minutes on the surface and slowly, using a dry cloth, wipe it off. There is a tendency for these sorts of stains to form bubbles and small dots. You need to wipe them off immediately if you notice any such things.
• Leave the stain for about an hour for it to dry and repeat another two times this entire process to ensure that your stair and the treads have been properly stained. Make sure nobody uses the stairs during this drying stage as this may leave ugly spots behind.
• Polyurethane can be added which would enhance the grain characteristics to the stair nose and tread if you desire to do so. In such a case, you would need to ensure that the stairs dry for a minimum 72 hours.
Periodic staining helps increase the life of the stairs and keeps your stairs beautiful. You would need to stain them based on the conditions and the usage of your stairs.
Warnings
• Sandpaper lighter than 100-grit on stair noses or stair treads should not be used. It would make them too slippery.
• Breathing and eye protection should be used when applying the Danish oil stain even though it has very little toxicity.
Sally is a senior writer, editor and guest commentator, for Shout Agency, an award winning SEO company in Melbourne.
