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We just had the floors redone using an oil based polyurethane and I’m trying to get the stairs to match. The problem is the stairs were originally done with a water based polyurethane. Do I need to completely sand down the floors or can I apply the oil based polyurethane over the existing water based polyurethane? Will the oil based polyurethane warm up the wood or will it be dulled because of the previous water based poly?

We recently removed the carpeting on one of our circa 1970 open stair case treads to find a pine stair tread. We love the look of the wood but wonder if pine is a good material, it seems a bit soft for stairs. Each tread will need much refinishing due to staple and nail holes from the carpeting. Would it be a better idea to “wrap” each tread in a hardwood?

I have decided to sand and stain my treads one colour and paint the stringers and risers white. The stringers and risers are natural coloured oak veneer and have clear urethane on them. How would I go about painting the stringers and risers?

My home is split level with open-backed stairs (treads but no risers). The treads are 2x Douglas Fir and are presently wrapped by carpeting. The stringers are also Douglas Fir and have been painted dark brown. Whoever painted the stringers got paint on the top of the treads where they intersect the stringers. I am re-flooring the home with Santos Mahogany and need to get the carpeting off the treads for aesthetic reasons. What is my best course of action – sand the paint off the stringers and treads and then stain them; or just paint the treads to match the stringers; or veneer the treads with Santos Mahogany? I’m having a heck of a time figuring out what to do on a limited budget.

Our stairs are made of 4X10in rough cut pine planed and sanded. Is there a textured finish I can apply to cut down on being too slippery?

I’m going to refinish risers in oak veneer. You can buy veneer that is pre-glued that you iron on or veneer that has no glue. I have also seen on an American do it yourself show, veneer that had a peel and stick backing. What would you recommend and where can you buy it in the Toronto area?

Do we need to stain and/or polyurethane the entire piece of wood, or is it okay to just finish the parts of the stairs that are visible?

How can I fill the many large nail holes on each of our hardwood steps?

What polyurethane sheen should I use on recently sanded and stained stair treads? High gloss, satin, or semi?

Our stairs are very old, worn down, painted pine. We are planning on leaving them painted and putting down a sisal carpet runner. Can the boards that are very worn be filled to make them flatter and less dangerous?

I am installing solid slab oak treads on a closed staircase. Do I need to leave an expansion joint between the oak slabs and the wall like you would when installing a hardwood floor, or is it okay to just install the treads flush with the walls on either side? Should I both nail and glue the slabs to the existing plywood treads below?

Do you have any suggestions for covering maple hardwood flooring on entrance stairs. We’re just about finished sanding them down and we don’t know how to protect them after they’ve been varnished. Carpet or plastic runners maybe? They are kind of ugly, but are there any other alternatives?

What type of glue do you recommend using on stair nosing?

Should I/we be concerned with the resulting handrail height? It would be about 1 1/16″ lower with respect to the new treads. Would this violate any building codes?

I’m refinishing my pine stair treads in my late 1800′s house. I have rough sanded and am getting ready for finish sanding. Should I use anything as a sanding sealer? Most importantly, what finish coat/product should I use? The treads are softwood so not sure urethane would be the way to go but I don’t know. I was told by the a local supplier to use Tung oil with urethane or Danish oil. Is this correct and if so, how many coats will be needed?

Hello, my wife and I recently stained our maple banisters, posts and nosing with a reddish stain. We don’t like it and would like to return it to it’s natural state. How do we do this? Can it only be sanded out or is there a chemical solution?