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  1. #1
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    Nov 2007
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    Default Internal Stair Sanding and re-finishing

    My vic ash/tas oak timber stairs, handrails, stringers, and landing will need re-staining in the next 12 months and I also want to further round over the edge of the treads to reduce chipping. My feeling is the best result would come from removing all the treads and risers, sanding, and re-installing but this probably isn't practical....although not impossible ? (volume builder house, less than 12 months old, looks like wedges are glued in. Dont want to engage with the builder)

    What's the next best option for sanding? ROS and detail sander with triangular head for the corners? Will using the same grit progression on each sander be the best way to ensure the stain doesn't show up imperfections?

    TIA, Sam
    You boys like Mexico ?

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  3. #2
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    Sunshine Coast
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    considering you want to re-stain and refinish but I don't know what the job looks like I'd be exploring a chemical stripper. You'll never adequately get into the corners and along the edges with a sander to remove the stain, especially if there's lots of mouldings. If it's a tinted varnish or poly then sanding might work but I doubt you'll remove 100% of the old finish, and that might come back to bite you in the ass when you put the new finish on and it's patchy. Sanding would be a hell of a lot of work also, and there's going to be dust throughout the house - which ain't good if you're living in it...


    Something to consider... I've done a lot of jobs over the years where dust and or chemical smell was going to be a problem in the building. What I do is create a negative pressure environment by mounting a high volume extractor fan in the closest window to the work and suck the air out of the building. All the ambient air over the hours will flow towards the window and you'll have little to no dust or smell migrate throughout the building. I see guys put up plastic barriers all the time, but I've never found they work adequately - especially with smell.

    YMMV

  4. #3
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    Apr 2019
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    yeah most floor sanding mobs add on a decent chunk of money as soon as they see stairs purely for how much work they are.

    it'd probably be alot of help to know what they where finished with originally, but in the end sanding is probably going to net you the best results. I would look up a few reviews and get the best sanding pads you can get (3m have some very good stuff) and not cheap out on it.

  5. #4
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    Thanks for the replies. Hadnt considered a chemical stripper. Evenness in the final stain is what I’m after so I think there’s a lot of sanding ahead either way. It’s a fairly simple stair and what few mouldings there are I’d replace to make sanding easier.

    Interesting about creating negative pressure too, can’t move out during the work so will definitely look in that.
    You boys like Mexico ?

  6. #5
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    Apr 2006
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    Hobart
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    Default

    This is a lot of work, Sam, probably a lot more than you expect!

    Tread round over. A round over bit in a router will make quick work of this. A trim router will get further into corners than a big one. Then you can make a scratch block to do the final inch or so on each end of each tread.

    But this will immediately expose a stripe of new wood against the old stained timber. Do you know what the original finsih was? Was it stained varnish? Was the wood stained and then polyurethaned? Something else.

    If stained varnish. Remove all varnish with a sharp tungsten scraper. Then sand with a ROS and a detail sander until the colour differentiation between the old tread timber and the new roundover timber disappears. A lot of work!

    If stained timber under finish coats. Basically the same as above but a lot more sanding as the stain will have penetrated into the timber and more has to be removed. A lot more work.

    Some may advise you to match staining. This is great if you can do it but I have never succeeded.

    When doing a lot of sanding like this, I urge you to use a vacuum attached to the sander - this will speed up the sander by a considerable amount. And minimise the mess.

  7. #6
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    Sth Gippsland Vic
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    As said, chemical stripping is the way to go . Nobody sands off finishes on a large scale . You have to lift all the sandpaper clogging plastic goop off and get to a clean dry wood before sanding . Stain in the wood doesn't matter for sanding but old finish certainly does.

    The first thing that may help is letting us know is why you want to do this . Is it to change the colour? Or the shine ? Or both ?
    If its a colour change, the main consideration is, are you wanting a darker colour or lighter colour?

    If it has to be lighter than what is there atm then you need to strip the finish then sand out the stain. Then it gets re finished with the new stain and finish, or finished natural with no stain . That's a lot of work .

    If the colour you want to go to is darker than whats on it then you strip it and only lightly sand it very quickly . Then stain to the darker colour over the original stain hopefully, and re finish. That's a lot less work .

    Re doing the shape of the edges of the steps presents a problem if your keeping the old stain . So you either sand the lot after re shaping because of that . Or if you had the skill and the colours you match in the newly machined edges to the old stain and then re stain darker and finish the lot to the new colour and shine you like.

  8. #7
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    My word Graeme it will be a lot of work ! I’ll definitely go with a vaccum and also Spindoctors recommendations.

    Auscab - I could find out what the finish is and I don’t necessarily want to go darker, I want to ‘even’. Currently there’s drips and darker splotches in the corners where the drips rushed the job or just cbf….perils of building during a pandemic. Guess I’ll have to check with the supervisor and ask what products were used.

    Pretty keen on rounding over the edges as the corners are chipping already and once I redo the whole thing I don’t want that to happen again 6 months later so I can’t see a way around removing the old stuff completely.

    Many thanks
    You boys like Mexico ?

  9. #8
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    Sunshine Coast
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sam View Post
    My word Graeme it will be a lot of work ! I’ll definitely go with a vaccum and also Spindoctors recommendations.

    Auscab - I could find out what the finish is and I don’t necessarily want to go darker, I want to ‘even’. Currently there’s drips and darker splotches in the corners where the drips rushed the job or just cbf….perils of building during a pandemic. Guess I’ll have to check with the supervisor and ask what products were used.

    Pretty keen on rounding over the edges as the corners are chipping already and once I redo the whole thing I don’t want that to happen again 6 months later so I can’t see a way around removing the old stuff completely.

    Many thanks
    Don't forget the most important material - beer. two per hour will help - a lot. Just like the old french floor finisher painting. Now they preferred wine but it's the summer here so...

    Gustave_Caillebotte_-_The_Floor_Planers_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

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