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Sanding and varnishing banisters.

  • 21-05-2009 11:23am
    #1
    munman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27 ✭


    Anyone got any tips as i think this could be a nightmare fo a job :confused:


Comments

  • #2
    yop
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Regional Midwest Moderators, Regional West Moderators Posts: 16,724 Mod ✭✭✭✭yop


    Dont know chief, what we did with outs was sand it with sand paper first, then coat it in varnish ensuring that I didn't put too much varnish on it.
    I then let it dry and steel wooled each one to put a nice smooth feel on it and then gave it a 2nd coat and did the same for a 3rd time.
    4 years later and its still in place and shiny


  • #3
    Pinky123
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 329 ✭✭Pinky123


    I am also varnishing part of my stairs and painting the rest, would also love to hear any advice. Is it really a job for a professional painter ???


  • #4
    Wertz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,909 ✭✭✭✭Wertz


    Not at all.
    I worked in a 63 yr old woman's house last year who had just had a new staircase and trim fitted. She had proceeded to apply 3 coats to the spindles, runners, string and such and 5 (!) coats of varnish on the handrail...she had done this without even using masking tape! (something I'd always use).
    Staircases can be a bit intimidating...it looks like there's a lot more to it than what there is.
    The trick is to either have two people, one on the outside, one on the inside, doing either side of the spindles, or if you're solo, to only do 2-3 spindles at a time, switching sides...this way you get no runs, misses or paint build up on edges.

    Pinky123 you say you wish to varnish some, paint the rest...my advice is to get your varnishing done first, all of it, allow to dry for 24 hrs, fully tape off the finished areas (making sure tape is firmly stuck) and paint the rest, sanding between coats.
    A 1.5inch brush is best for spindles...something a little bigger for the runner or string. If you're using oil paint then thin it a little before hand with white spirit...less runs and easier to work with. You shoudl alwasy start at the top and work down, and the best place to start is where the spindles double up (at the top of the stairs on to the landing), making sure to paint the backs of the spindles from either side first...this avoids you missing bits and getting marks all over wet paint, or wet paint all over yourself.


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