white oak stairs

T

tulip

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i have a white oak stair with no finish at the moment, new build. i dont know what finish to put on it, as i want to keep it looking as natural as possible. i know it will stain and dirt will get ground in but i dont want shiny yellow varnish or stain. its a class stairs, very modern and would like to keep that look. any suggestions?
 
We have the same kind of stairs and we were recommended Ronseal Diamond Hard Floor clear varnish. It's good for protection against heavy traffic and 2 years on the stairs still look spot on.
 
why not try some oils like linseed oil or hardwax oil for oak. these will help protect your stairs and wont look cheap or yellow with time.
 
Forget oiling or waxing it. Oak as a timber has a very open grain structure which means that it collects crud if not grain-filled and sealed.

Oil and wax (whilst a recently trendy finish on oak furniture) will only magnify the problem. Definitely NOT a finish for stairs!

Either grain-fill it and varnish it or just varnish it. If you don't grain-fill then you'll need an extra coat or two to get sufficient 'build'.
 
tulip i would advise you to for get oils or waxs especially on the steps and risers. what you need is a 2 pack type floor varnish e.g. grynite 2 pack meaning you have too add a hardner too the varnish,and i would give it at least 4 coats sanding lightly between coats,just make sure the stairs is as clean and sanded properly before the first coat,cause thats the way it will end up.
 
If you are still at finishing stage, I would tape up the stairs with cardboard, and we used plastic dust sheets on hand rails, well thats what we did and when all the dirty work was completed, we sanded and used Diamond coat satin finish, 5 coats in all, very hard tedious work but well worth the finish. White oak is the buisiness !

Good luck

Secman
 
Hi guys.
I have a concrete stairs which I am putting carpet on. However the posts and the handrails will be walnut. Would you recommend the same for this type of timber --- Diamond coat satin and sand 5 times. Will you get as goos a finish with brush as spraying. Can spray but is all the taping up worth it. What grade of sandpaper is best???
Please help.
 
If you want the stairs to have a natural look without the build up and yellowing of standard finishes use Bona Naturale. This is a waterbased non yellowing polyurethane that is designed to look totally natural with zero build up. if you need more info www.bonakemi.com
 
natural oils

amazing everybody telling you to use varnishes that will yellow and crack and peal over time. wood contains natural terpentine. a lot of new floors are coming in natural oils and the grain of these floors (mostly oak) don't fill with crud. theres nothing NEW or TRENDY about using natural products such as oils or waxes on wood. these products help wood breath and stops the wood from drying out over the years.
SO DON'T THINK YOU ONLY HAVE TO USE PRODUCTS FROM TINS, THEY DON'T ALWAYS DO EXACTLY WHAT THE SAY (excuse the pun) ON THE TIN.
 
The OP requested a finish that would not yellow and look natural. There is no oil or wax finish that will not yellow. The only finish that will perform what the OP requested is a non yellowing water based polyurethane. Bona Kemi are the largest manufacturers of water based finish in the world, their finishes have a excellent reputation in the flooring industry,consistent sheen levels,levelling and adhesion have made their products a success all over the world. Using natural oils and waxes on flooring and stairs have one major downside, they need constant maintenance,scuff marks and water stains are very visible and the finish will need to be recoated every year or two hence darkening the color of the wood. Finish failure as described above has more to do with poor application than product failure. When the tin says for professional use only hire a professional. Furniture oils and finishes will not perform when used on stairs or flooring.
 
Sand n Seal all the way .... Rotten stuff but does a mighty job. I have solid ash stairs and it looks great. Get a pro to do it.
 
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I use Danish Oil. No problems. If you've spent the cash on white oak, don't treat it like red deal. just my opinion.
I never understand the prevalant Irish mentality of ignoring the natural beauty and characterists of building materials, such as timber, stone and concrete, and painting, sealing covering them up in the hope that they will be maintenance free. The word building is both a noun and a verb.
 
I have used this product on harwood flooring. It has a very low sheen level which has to be taken into consideration. This finish only comes in satin therefore you need to view finish samples before you choose this finish as you would have to let finish cure out before top coating it with a different finish. This product has being designed to look totally natural without the yellowing associated with oil finishes. For professional use only. Tung oil finishes have their place in the wood refinishing business but as i have said here before they need constant care and will darken wood over time, certain projects require non yellowing finishes use of water based products in these instances will provide successful results.
 
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