Painting and Staining our stair railing part 3 – Done!

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Done! This was a big project but it’s finally done. And I have to say I am very happy with the way it turned out! It was time consuming and a bit frustrating at times, but what a change! Here is the before and after pictures. (I added links to the first 2 posts at the end of this post)

Once the gel stain was on and I finished with 2 coats of polyurethane, I started on the spindles. Taping the spindles off was the time consuming part. I used A LOT of tape. But to get a really clean look it was necessary. Spend the time on this, it’s worth it.

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I painted the spindles Annie Sloan Pure White and finished them with polyurethane as well so everything had the same finish. Be sure to use a top coat that won’t yellow the chalk paint. I used General Finishes High Performance Water based topcoat.

Now that it’s done I can say the hardest part was the time it took. Don’t plan on this being a quick project. But as long as you take the time to tape everything off and be sure to layer thin coats of stain as well as paint you will be happy with the results. I really am amazed at how different it looks. And I absolutely love it!

Let me know what you think. If you have any questions about how I refinished my stair railing please ask.

Thanks for taking a look

Cindy

Here are links to the first 2 posts in this series

Painting and staining our stair railing Part 1

Painting and Staining our stair railing part 2

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10 comments

  1. Love your stairs! I’m doing the same on mine right now. Can you tell me what gray paint is on your wall?? Very pretty. Seems like every gray I pick has hints of blue or purple. Can’t seem to find a true gray. Please let me know what brand+color and how you like it, thanks!

    1. Thanks Keri! 😊 We used Behr Natural Grey on the walls. We had the same problem trying to find a grey that didn’t have a blue tint. We love the Natural Grey. It is a true Grey without any color undertones. It doesn’t clash with anything and looks great with the tan carpet and tile that was already in place.

  2. Your stairs look so amazing! I am inspired now!! 😁 One question, once you decided to leave gel on to dry, does this mean really no sanding first?

    1. Thank you! Yes the gel stain goes on without any sanding. You just have to seal it with a top coat! It’s awesome!!

    1. Thanks for the questions. I taped the carpet around the wood and then put plastic and a drop cloth around the area’s I was staining. The gel stain is thick so its a little easier to work with than regular stain. I was careful not to put it on thick over and around the tape and I didn’t have any stain leak onto my carpet.

  3. Hi there, your stairs Turned out beautifully! I’m a little confused though, On the second post you said you sanded, but then in one of the questions from someone else you said no sanding needed? I’m really hoping not to have to sand, haha!!

    1. I did start out sanding the staircase but stopped when I realized it was going to be to involved for me. I was able to use General Finishes gel stain without sanding the rest of it. You can paint it on and leave it on like a paint and it works. No need to sand. The gel stain works like a regular stain on wood that hasn’t been sealed but it also paints on and dries so its great for both. I hope that helps.

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